Incredible Cinnamon Rolls and Challah from One Simple Dough

The enriched dough that's endlessly versatile + Video tutorial

Hi, I’m so glad you’ve stopped by. I’m Leslie, an enthusiastic cook and vagabond who loves making homecooked dishes from around the world.

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Can we talk about this baking experiment I tried? Because I’m a little shocked and totally thrilled at how well it worked.

But first, let me back up for a second.

For a long time, I was just a second-degree recipient of the most delicious challah made by my parents’ neighbor, Este. Este is a challah savant. For decades, she has been making and giving away six loaves each week, so she knows what she’s doing.

Unfortunately, I’d only get to enjoy the challah every few months when I visited.

I thought about that challah all the time, especially whenever I tasted other sad, lifeless loaves that required a glass of water to swallow.

So last year, I finally took this challah matter into my own hands (I knew I’d have to make it by hand because I don’t have a stand mixer), and I asked Este to teach me how to make it. Este kindly agreed. Twice. Apparently, my note-taking skills from school have atrophied over the years, but I took really good notes the second time so don’t worry.

This challah is such a treat. It’s tender, moist, and flavorful.

Some of my Substack friends found it to be beautiful, too, when I shared these photos a few months ago. :)

What makes this dough so special?

As I was enjoying a piece of this challah recently, I noticed myself thinking, “Why is this so easy to make?”

The dough requires no special equipment or fancy ingredients, just two minutes of kneading, and it's beginner-friendly and forgiving to work with. Oh, and most importantly, it produces an amazing loaf every time.

I was wondering why other breads couldn’t be this easy, and that got me thinking…well, maybe they could be.

Challah is an enriched dough. Sweet buns also use an enriched dough, though they typically use milk and butter instead of oil and water.

But still, what if this challah dough could make sweet rolls? The first contender had to be a classic: cinnamon rolls.

So, I finally put my theory to the test.

Ugh, wait, real time update. As I’m writing this (after I’ve performed my test), I’ve Googled “using challah dough for cinnamon rolls” and learned that this is actually a known thing. Whatever. I’m here to spread the good word. I don’t think it’s known enough. And you still need this dough recipe!

Making cinnamon rolls with challah dough works! Like, really well. So today, I’m sharing it with you.

The appeal of this approach is that you master just one simple dough that unlocks incredible challah, cinnamon rolls, or both. Fun spoiler: I’ve got more ideas for this dough coming up. Multiple bakes from one reliable technique is exactly how you stop thinking about baking and actually do it!

The recipe shows you how to split the dough to make both cinnamon rolls and challah at once. Or, use all the dough for a double batch of whichever one you’re craving. I’ve included tips for that too. 🙂 Plus, there are freezing options for both if you want to prep ahead.

I won’t pretend it’s quick because, like most yeasted breads, you’ve still got two rises plus the shaping. But once you master this dough (which I’m confident you quickly will), making challah and cinnamon rolls will feel so much easier for, dare I say, the rest of your life.

I’m thinking you could make other things with this dough, too! Fluffy burger buns, soft sandwich rolls, or filled “brioche” pastries like these Romanian three-jacket buns or these cream cheese and lemon curd ones. Ah, so many possibilities with this one dough!

I hope this approach tickles your mind as much as it did mine. I refined this recipe to be detailed but not overwhelming. My husband Bulut helped, too -- thank you, babe! So I hope it gives you everything you need to try it yourself. Plus, there’s a video!!

At the very least, I hope it sparks some inspiration for those of you who, like me, seek variety and efficiency in the kitchen.

Please drop a comment with your thoughts or feedback. I read and reply to all of them! Do you think doughs should be repurposed? Do you have another holy-grail dough recipe that you use in multiple ways? I want to hear it.

Happy baking!

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Cinnamon Rolls and Challah from One Dough

Servings: 1 challah and 10 cinnamon rolls (or 2 challot! or 20 cinnamon rolls! so many options!) | Time: 3.5-5 hours (See Note 4 for timing variations)

Ingredients

The Dough

• 1 packet dry yeast (~2.25 teaspoons or 7 g) (I use instant yeast, but active dry also works)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)

• 1.33 cups warm water at 110-115 F (300 ml)

• ~5.75 cups (720 g) all-purpose flour (See Note 5)

  • You will need more for dusting work surfaces

• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1/3 cup neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, peanut, or avocado) (80 ml)

  • Plus a little more oil for greasing

• 2 eggs

For the challah

TIP: Making only challah? Use the full batch of dough to make 2 loaves. You’ll need two loaf pans and can use the same amount of egg wash and seeds.

• 1 egg, beaten for an egg wash

• Optional: 1-2 tablespoons of seeds for sprinkling (such as sesame, poppy, or everything bagel seed mix)

For the cinnamon rolls

TIP: Making only cinnamon rolls? Use the full batch of dough for 20-22 rolls. Double the filling, frosting, and finishing ingredients below, and use two pie plates.

For the cinnamon roll filling

• 3 tablespoons butter, very soft and spreadable but not melted

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

For cream cheese frosting

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature (this is half a standard block of cream cheese)

• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

• 2/3 cup powdered sugar (80 g)

• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste

Finishing the rolls, just before baking

• 1/3 cup of half and half OR heavy cream, at room temperature

  • This makes moister cinnamon rolls with a gooier caramel. I learned the technique here. It’s optional, but if you’ve never tried this, I recommend it!

Method

MAKE THE DOUGH

1. In a large bowl, gently mix together yeast, sugar, and water. Not all of the sugar will dissolve and that’s ok. Set aside in a warm place until it becomes foamy (~10 minutes). Move on to step 2.

2. In another large bowl, add flour and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside. In a medium bowl (or 2-cup measuring glass) mix together oil and eggs.

3. When yeast mixture is foamy, add oil-egg mixture and whisk gently. Add roughly half of flour-salt mixture and stir together to combine with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of flour-salt and mix with the wooden spoon until you can’t anymore. If the dough seems a little patchy or dry, that’s good. If it has absorbed all the flour already, add a little flour to your work surface. Now turn out the dough and any remaining flour onto your work surface. Knead it for just about two minutes to bring it together.

   1. IMPORTANT: The dough ball won’t be smooth. That’s fine and expected. It will be a bit sticky after two minutes, and that’s what you want. If the dough starts sticking to your hands a lot, that means you’ve kneaded it too much. Just add a little flour to the surface to make it into a rough ball again and move on.

BULK RISE, PREP PANS & FILLING

1. Prepare a large bowl (it can be the same bowl that the dough was in, just roughly empty it out first) by brushing it with a thin film of oil and put the dough in it. Pour about 2 teaspoons of oil on top the dough and gently rub it around the top. Loosely cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for ~1.5 hours, until doubled in size.

2. In the meantime, prep your pans. For challah, lightly oil a loaf pan (or two if making a double batch). For cinnamon rolls, butter a 9- or 10-inch pie plate (or two for a double batch).

3. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon roll filling. Set aside.

SHAPING THE DOUGH & SECOND RISES

1. When the dough has doubled in size, dust a clean work surface lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto it. Lightly flour the top of the dough and perform 8-10 stretch-and-folds to shape it into a ball. Divide the dough into two pieces. Put one of the pieces back into the bowl and cover it again.

2. FOR THE CHALLAH: Divide the dough you’re working with into three equal pieces and roll them out into logs that are about 10-12 inches long. Attach one of the ends together and braid them. See this link for braiding tips, or just braid like you would normally. Tori Avey’s Challah Braiding Guide: Master the Art of Dough Braiding Then transfer the challah to the greased loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the challahs to rest for 30-40 minutes in a warm spot. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 F (normal bake, not convection).

3. FOR THE CINNAMON ROLLS: On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 15 x 9 inches. If your rectangle is not a rectangle, just trim it a little. 🙂 Spread softened butter on the dough, edge to edge, using a pastry brush or clean fingers. Then evenly sprinkle over the brown sugar-cinnamon mix and gently press in with your hands. With the longer edge closest to you, vertically cut the dough into 10 strips that are about 1.5 inches wide. Roll up each to make a cinnamon roll.

   Place the rolls in the greased pie pan and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Allow them to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm (75-80 F environment).

   See Note 1 if you don’t want to bake your cinnamon rolls today.

BAKE THE BREADS

1. BAKE THE CHALLAH: Beat an egg in a bowl and use a pastry brush or clean fingers to gently brush challah with egg wash. Sprinkle with seeds, if using.

2. Bake the challah for 40-45 minutes. It should have an internal temperature of ~195 F.

   1. TIP! Check the challah around the half-way mark, if the top is already quite brown then place a piece of aluminum foil on top of it gently, not securing it, to keep it from burning

3. Let challah cool in loaf pan for at least 15 minutes and then remove from pan and transfer challah to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Enjoy! (See Note 2 for storing leftovers)

4. BAKE THE CINNAMON ROLLS: When the cinnamon rolls look much puffier and fill out most of the pie plate, preheat the oven to 350 F. Then evenly pour the cream over all of them. When oven has come up to temperature, bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes.

5. While they bake, use a fork to mix together cream cheese frosting ingredients in a medium bowl.

6. When cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, they should be golden brown on top. Let cool for 3-5 minutes. Spoon over the frosting and spread it gently. Enjoy!

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Notes

(1) To make cinnamon rolls later: If you don’t want to bake your cinnamon rolls today, you can refrigerate or freeze them to bake at a later point. Please Google “how to refrigerate or freeze raw cinnamon rolls” for more details.

(2) Storing the challah: Once cool, slice and store challah in a ziplock bag. If you’d like, you may keep it in the ziplock bag at room temperature for up to 2 days, but ideally just freeze it! It freezes and defrosts beautifully and will stay good frozen for 3 months.

(3) Storing cinnamon rolls: Cinnamon rolls are always best day-of, but they can be kept at room temperature for three days and then refrigerated for up to two additional days. Microwave for 10 seconds to revive them!

(4) Timing: If you are making the entire recipe as written, it will take about 5 hours.

Breakdown: 30 minutes for mixing the dough, 1.5 hours for first rise and prepping the pans and filling, 45 minutes total for shaping dough, another ~10 minutes to finish challah rising, 40 minutes to bake challah, another 30-60 minutes for cinnamon rolls to rise, 30 minutes for baking and frosting cinnamon rolls.

However, if you’re only making cinnamon rolls or only making challah, that will cut down on time. Also, see Note 1 for the option to make cinnamon rolls later. This would take off 1-1.5 hours.

(5) Amount of flour: 5.75 cups (or 720 g) of flour is the minimum amount you’ll need. I encourage you to watch the video to see the consistency that the dough should be. As instructed in step 3 under MAKE THE DOUGH, if the dough has absorbed all of the flour before you start kneading it, you may need to add some flour to your work surface.

(6) Can I make the dough in a stand mixer? Honestly, I’ve never tried it, but if you do, leave a comment to let me know what happens!

(7) Credits: I got the cream cheese frosting and cinnamon filling from this recipe!