Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
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Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
This Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll is what brunch dreams are made of—fluffy, buttery dough rolled up with cinnamon sugar, crispy bacon, and finished with a maple glaze that’s straight-up drool-worthy. It’s over-the-top in all the right ways and perfect for sharing… or not. Gluten-free + Overnight Option.
I’ve always had a soft spot for cinnamon rolls—but if we’re being honest, I might love bacon even more. So naturally, I had to mash the two together… and add a maple cream cheese glaze, because why not go all in? The result is this Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll! A sweet, salty, over-the-top brunch dream.
The dough is soft and fluffy, like a brioche-style cloud, and the smoky bacon + sticky maple glaze combo hits every craveable note. Seriously, with homemade dough, you can roll up just about anything and it turns out mouthwateringly good—that's why I've got so many cinnamon roll recipes on my site! Try these next: Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, Strawberry Shortcake Cinnamon Rolls, and Blueberry Pie Cinnamon Rolls. Total sweet roll heaven!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
- Ingredients For This Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
- Tips For Making The Perfect Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
- Can I Knead By Hand Instead of Using a Mixer?
- How to Make Cinnamon Rolls Overnight?
- Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll Q + A's
- More Must-Try Cinnamon Roll Recipes!
- MADE OUR RECIPE?
- Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
Why You'll Love This Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
OK, so if you're not totally convinced about this giant cinnamon roll yet, here's why you’ll love it:
- It's like having both breakfast and dessert in one!
- SOFT, FLUFFY, and brioche-like in texture, with that perfect melt-in-your-mouth feel.
- Sweet maple and smoky bacon come together in a flavor combo that’s next-level delicious.
- A fun, giant treat that’s perfect for sharing (or not—it’s that good).
- Warm, gooey, and utterly irresistible.
Ingredients For This Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
Here's what you need for the fluffy brioche-style dough:
DOUGH:
- All-purpose flour. I use organic flour from Bob's Red Mill
- Artisan Bread flour. You can find this from King Arthur or Bob's Red Mill.
- Organic cane sugar.
- Instant yeast + warm water. Also called Rapid Rise Yeast. This is important to help activate the yeast at the beginning.
- Ground cinnamon. You can purchase my Dessert Lover Blend for authentic flavor.
- Eggs. At room temp.
- Milk. At room temp. You can use your fave plant-based milk or regular cow's milk.
- WARM water.
- Salted butter. Use warm, melted + cooled to WARM
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor.
FILLING:
- Organic brown sugar. This adds an extra layer of sweetness to the filling.
- Salted butter. Softened at room temp.
- Ground cinnamon. You can purchase my Dessert Lover Blend for authentic flavor.
- Heavy cream. For topping.
MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
- Cream cheese. Softened at room temp.
- Salted butter. Softened at room temp.
- Powdered sugar. Sifted.
- Pure maple syrup.
- Milk. You can use your fave plant-based milk or regular cow's milk.
TOPPING:
- Candied bacon. Chopped into small chunks. See my candied bacon recipe here!
SHOP MY FAVORITE BAKEWARE ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES!
Here, I’ve curated a list of bakeware essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baking treats, especially with these Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls. Everything from my fave baking sheets, parchment paper, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
Tips For Making The Perfect Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
Due to many delicious attempts at perfecting this recipe, I have come across some very helpful tips that will ensure a perfectly baked strawberry shortcake cinnamon roll.
NEVER OVERHEAT THE MILK!
It is so important that your milk is warm but NOT hot! It should be warm to the touch. If you find that your milk has overheated, allow it to cool before adding the yeast. Milk that is too hot will kill the yeast, and you won't get the big, fluffy rise in the dough. We want these rolls super fluffy, and that's only possible when the yeast is bloomed properly.
USE VERY SOFT BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
Like in most baking, room-temperature ingredients mix better than cold ingredients. Beat in your butter while it is completely at room temperature for a seamless, tender texture.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT OVER-MIXING
I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. With cakes and cookies, you never want to overwork the dough because working develops the gluten in the flour. Gluten development leads to a chewy, unpleasant texture in cakes and cookies, making them dense and heavy. Because cinnamon rolls use a yeast dough, it is required to develop the gluten in the dough. The yeast brings elasticity that lightens and fluffs the dough, much like bread dough. When making these rolls, keep on mixing even after you think you've mixed enough!
RISE THE DOUGH OVERNIGHT
While I developed this recipe as a quick-bake cinnamon roll, more flavor develops in the dough if you allow it to rise overnight. The dough has more time to rise, leading to a more developed, yeast-bread flavor. This yeast flavor is a perfect pairing with the sweet filling and frosting.
USE A BREAD FLOUR MIX
After much trial and tribulation, I have found that a mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour is the perfect combination for cinnamon rolls. The bread flour gives a tender, thick, brioche-like texture that I think is perfect for this dish.
ROLL THEM UP TIGHT!
A loose roll will fall apart upon slicing and bake unevenly. Instead, begin with a very tight roll and keep that momentum throughout the roll. The dough is sturdy and can handle being rolled tightly due to its elasticity.
Can I Knead By Hand Instead of Using a Mixer?
Absolutely! Usually, I make my cinnamon roll dough via my electric stand-mixer which has the appropriate attachments for the kneading process, however, with these cinnamon rolls, I have had the pleasure of doing this all by hand and it wasn't difficult.
It just requires a bit more arm work, that's all! Plus, there’s nothing that a light drizzle of flour can’t help, right?! You'll basically follow all the steps for making the dough in a large bowl and once it begins to come together and can form a ball, then you'll begin working the dough in a front-to-back and folding motion a few times until you begin to feel the dough "soften" and become elastic-like. It took me about 5-6 minutes or so total. Not bad!
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls Overnight?
If you don’t want to make your rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll Q + A's
Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
Absolutely! If you’d rather go for individual rolls, just roll out the dough as usual and cut it into smaller pieces before baking. Adjust the baking time to around 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and cooked through. The glaze will still be as sticky and delicious!
Basically, the main reason why your rolls aren't rising is because the yeast didn't fully activate as it should. All in all, your ingredients were TOO HOT or TOO COLD for the yeast to create a warm enough environment to do it's thing and "activate".
However, when using Rapid-rise or quick-rise yeast, it's usually easier to maneuver since it doesn't necessarily need to be "bloomed" before using. It's not dormant as regular active dry yeast, which makes it more convenient!
Absolutely! When it comes to these cinnamon rolls or any for that matter, you always have the option of making them the traditional way which requires a 1-2 hours initial rise and then another 20-25 minute rise before baking OR an overnight option.
However, if you're in a rush to make these or don't want to deal with a long rise time, you can simply create your dough and do a quick rise (20-25 minutes) and placing them straight in the oven to bake. Either way, cinnamon rolls are AMAZING and worth whatever wait time you choose!
More Must-Try Cinnamon Roll Recipes!
- Vegan Chai Latte Cinnamon Rolls
- Overnight Vegan Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Chai Tea Latte Cinnamon Rolls
- Fluffy Homemade Orange Cinnamon Rolls
- Best Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
MADE OUR RECIPE?
If you tried this Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
Epic Giant Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll
Ingredients
DOUGH:
- 1 ½ cups organic All-purpose flour + 2 Tbsps (See Notes!)
- 1 ½ cups Artisan Bread flour
- ¼ cup organic cane sugar + 1 Tbsp
- 1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
- 2 Tbsps WARM water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (You can purchase my Dessert Lover Blend for authentic flavor)
- 1 large egg, room temp.
- ¾ cup milk, at room temp. (You can use your fave plant-based milk or regular cow's milk)
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted + cooled to WARM
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
FILLING:
- ⅓ cup organic brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, softened at room temp.
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (You can purchase my Dessert Lover Blend for authentic flavor)
- ⅓ cup organic heavy cream, for topping
MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
- 4 oz. organic cream cheese, softened at room temp.
- 4 Tbsps salted butter, softened at room temp.
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 Tbsps pure maple syrup
- 1-2 Tbsps milk (You can use your fave plant-based milk or regular cow's milk)
TOPPING:
- ½ cup Chopped candied bacon
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH:
- Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly pour in warm water while stirring frequently. Allow 5-10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate.
- Add in the room temperature milk and warm butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla, whisking to incorporate.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, sugar, and cinnamon (or Dessert Lover Blend), and add them to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
- Change “Mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed together with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
- Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.
- In the meantime, you can work on the filling.
FOR THE FILLING:
- Add the softened the butter (best if done at room temp. so that it's more "paste-like" in texture once smeared) in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon (or Dessert Lover Blend) and brown sugar, mixing them together. Set aside.
ASSEMBLY:
- Once the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a standard 9" cheesecake springform pan.
- Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape (approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
- Then, generously add ¾ of the softened butter atop dough (spreading it out evenly with a spoon or knife), followed by the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, ensuring that the top is coated evenly.
- Using a very sharp knife or pizza or pastry cutter, cut the dough into 6, 2” wide strips. Then roll up one strip and place it in the center of the prepared pan. Now, coil the remaining 5 strips around the center roll, starting each strip at the end of the previous one. This should create one big roll once complete.
- Then place plastic wrap over the baking pan with roll, smear the top with remaining softened butter and let it rise again (for another 20 minutes).
- Once the roll has doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, pour the heavy cream evenly atop the roll and bake it for approximately 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven. NOTE: You'll need to place the pan atop foil paper or a baking sheet to prevent the heavy cream from seeping through the bottom.
- While all the baking magic is happening, make the Cream Cheese Glaze.
CANDIED BACON:
- At this point, you want to make your Candied Bacon and have it chopped and ready to go once roll is baked!
TO MAKE THE MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
- In a bowl, beat (using a hand-mixer) the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and milk, beating everything together until the glaze becomes smooth and velvety. NOTE: Add additional milk (1 tablespoon at a time) if the glaze is too thick or powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) if too thin.
- Remove the roll from oven and wait 5-10 minutes or until the roll slightly cools before removing the bottom of the springform pan and placing the roll onto a serving plate. Now spread the glaze atop the roll using a rubber spatula evenly until fully covered and generously top with chopped candied bacon as desired.
- To serve, cut the roll into "cake like slices" and enjoy.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- TO STORE: Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
- RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST: If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
- FLOUR: If you don’t have bread flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead.
- OVERNIGHT OPTION: If you don’t want to make your Cinnamon Roll on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting roll into strips and assembling it into your baking pan, just cover it tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate it overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping it covered, let cinnamon roll rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours and then continue the baking process.
Nutrition
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