QUICK AND EASY CINNAMON ROLLS 
1 pkg. yellow or white cake mix
2 pkg. quick rise yeast
2 1/2 c. warm water
5 c. flour (self-rising)

Mix cake mix and yeast with warm water. Add flour, work flour in. Pour in large greased bowl. Grease top of dough. Cover bowl. Let rise double in size. Then punch down on floured surface. Knead dough about 20 times. Divide in half. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.

Spread butter over entire surface. Sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon (nuts if desired). Roll up seam side down. Slice in 1 inch slices. Place in greased pans. Let rise double. Bake in hot oven, 400 degrees, for about 12-15 minutes. Do not over bake. Drizzle powdered sugar glaze over.

recipe reviews
Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls
   #87941
 Darcy (Ohio) says:
It says only four ingredients, and that is true for the dough but somewhat misleading to completing the recipe. You also need very soft butter and the sugar/cinnamon mixture for filling. First time I didn't know how to make it or how much to use. For second attempt, found 2:1 mixture of granulated sugar to brown sugar makes a tasty moist filling. Not sure of the amount of it though since I mixed one batch and then found I needed more. I'll say you probably need 1-1/3c granulated sugar and 2/3c brown sugar with cinnamon to your taste. Brown sugar helps them stay moist. I like lots of cinnamon, so probably used about 2T. Might need more or less of the mixture depending on how thin you roll dough. Spreading it thick is integral to the awesomeness of these rolls.

The first time I made them, I followed precisely but when I rolled to 1/4" thick, the rolls became massive and were hard on the outside to get done inside.

Made some changes and had it work better. Butter cake mix is tastier. However, it uses more self-rising flour to get firm enough to roll out. I used 7 to 7-1/2 cups of self-rising flour with the butter cake mix. Unlike bread dough, you don't want to work in as much flour as you can... It will look like it wants more flour when it's the right consistency: still kind of sticky but not at all runny/gloopy. Oil on hands is imperative.

After first rise, I divide the dough into 4 and roll as thin as possible, like 1/8", because the dough doubles as it rises, and then because of the self-rising flour and cake mix, it doubles again in the oven. 1/8" before rising/baking turns into a good 3/8" dough spiral after baking.

If you bake until golden, they're overdone. As soon as they start to color, take them out. Bake one pan at a time in middle rack. Pan on bottom rack has a tendency to burn on the bottom before it gets color on the dough. At 1/8" thick, I only bake them about 9 minutes on a metal cookie sheet, or 11 minutes in a glass baking dish.

Note: This recipe makes a ton of them when rolled thin. I got about 60. They were a massive hit at a Christmas brunch.

 

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