Oh, how I love these delicious cinnamon rolls with homemade jam. It is the flavor of paradise - simple and absolutely divine every single time. Cinnamon rolls are also known as cinnamon buns, cinnamon swirls, cinnamon Danish, cinnamon snail, sticky rolls, sticky buns, or scrolls. It all depends on where in the world you are but they are divine and have a national day in Sweden which is the 4th of October.
No matter what they are known as and what they are called, these cinnamon rolls are delicious, especially when made from scratch and using healthier flour and a good old homemade jam to fill these with. Oh, just divine! I have used forest fruit jam and a divine apricot jam, both homemade but any jam you like will do just great here.
You may ask yourself, are these delicious? Well, yeasss!! Just try this recipe.
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Are they healthy? well, healthier, yes since I have cut the icing (not to say you cannot have it) and added some nice spelt flour, and chia seeds and have not overdone with the sugar amount.
I make these cinnamon and jam rolls for my kids and it is a great way to use up some homemade jam like these I make regularly Rhubarb and Gin Jam, Cranberry Jam, Elderberry Jam, or my Perfect quince jam. I also use apple or pear sauce or some nicely ripe bananas.
A cinnamon roll is a sweet roll usually served in Northern Europe and North America. In Sweden is known as kanelbulle, in Denmark, as kanelsnegl, in Norway it is known as Kanelbolle, Skillingsboller, and Kanelsnurr and in Finland, it is known as korvapuusti.
Ingredients you will need
- cake flour (use strong white or cake flour)
- spelt flour
- fresh yeast (dry yeast will be great too)
- sugar - cane, unrefined
- butter (room temperature or melted)
- milk - this will need to be lukewarm
- salt - only if using unsalted butter
- chia seeds
- cinnamon powder
- eggs
- icing sugar to dust over
- lemon and orange zest or rind
- jam - best to use homemade - I used mixed berries this time
- mixed nuts
- chia seeds
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How to make cinnamon rolls?
Here are the 7 simple steps:
- Make the dough, wait for it to rise, and double in size
- Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape
- Spread the jam, nuts, and chia seeds on the rolled dough
- Roll and cut
- Place in a greased skillet
- Bake for 30-35 minutes;
- Serve with the icing you desire (see some delicious icing options below)
*See the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
Here is a shot of the dough risen and almost trebled in size (love and warmth are the secrets) the kneading too 😉
This is how you roll, spread, sprinkle, and then roll again 😉
This is how you roll and cut your cinnamon rolls, cut into 1-inch or 2.5 cm thick rolls.
Variations
What to fill cinnamon rolls with?
The most popular filling is of course the cinnamon filling:
- ½ cup salted butter (almost melted)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ cup double cream or heavy cream
One other filling that I have used and it was unbelievable was :
- 1 ½ cups/ or approx 400 g apple jam
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon muscat
Or why not use this raspberry filling we love so much:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup raspberry jam
- ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
One more idea walnut and rum caramel sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ⅛ cup milk
- ½ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- 4 tablespoons dark rum/bourbon
I could go on and on with the fillings) but these listed ones here are our most favourite ones. You might think I am nuts but sometimes I even use this Chilli, Ginger And Lemon Rind Jam and I love it!
What icing shall I use for cinnamon rolls?
Any icing you like, I used a light dusting of icing sugar but you may use an icing made from milk, icing sugar, vanilla or cream cheese, vanilla and honey or maple syrup. You may also use some jam to spread over.
One other simple way to serve these beauties, I particularly like this as I do not like anything too sweet, it's with a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of honey! The best if you ask me.
Serving Suggestions
Vanilla lemon glazing - Combine the sugar and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Add a splash of milk or cream as needed to reach your desired consistency. Drizzle over the cinnamon rolls while still warm.
Other recipes you may like
These recipes make a great breakfast or brunch, pretty healthier options too.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely! Freeze after baking – you may initially bake them for a shorter time to allow them another good 15 to 20 minutes back in the oven when taken out of the freezer. Freeze before baking – you can also choose not to bake them at all and freeze them straight after cutting them into rolls and bake for an extra 5 minutes straight from frozen.
After rolling the cinnamon rolls up, cut them, arrange them, and the designated pan/skillet which has to be greased or lined with parchment paper. Cover well with cling film or plastic wrap, then place in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to bake, bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature and allow them to rise for at least one hour before baking.
Easy cinnamon rolls with homemade jam
Equipment
- skillet
- bowl
- pan
- wooden spoon
- knife
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 275 grams flour (9.7 oz) use strong white or cake flour if you have
- 200 grams spelt flour (7 oz)
- 25 grams fresh yeast (0.9 oz) 1 sachet of dry yeast will be great too
- 4 tablespoon sugar cane - unrefined
- 80 grams butter (3.5 oz) room temperature or melted
- 1 cup milk (235ml/240g) lukewarm
- ¼ tsp salt* only if using unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
- 2 med egg lightly beaten (keep 3-4 tablespoon to egg wash the buns
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar to dust over
- 1 tablespoon lemon and orange zest or rind
For the filling
- ½ cup jam best to use homemade
- ½ cup mixed nuts chopped and toasted
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- In a larger bowl add the two types of flour, chia seeds and the salt and combine them slightly. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (keep some aside for egg wash) the lemon and the orange rind/zest, cinnamon and set aside.
- In a mug, mix the yeast into 100 ml warm milk, with the 4 tablespoon sugar. Mix well until the yeast and the sugar dissolves completely. Pout this mixture into the well and allow it 10-15 min to rest until it begins to bubble.
- Knead the dough by mixing the remainder of the milk, the room temperature or melted butter. Knead until your hand ends up being clean from any dough which initially is very sticky.
- Make the dough into a ball and allow it to rest covered with a towel into a bowl until it doubles or trebles in size.
- On a lightly floured or greased surface, roll the dough into one or two rectangles. I have made two as I wanted to use two types of jam.
- Spread the jam with the back of a spoon into an even layer, sprinkle the toasted nuts and some chia seeds.
- Roll, cut into rolls of approximately 1 inch or 2.5 cm thick and place those into a greased skillet with little space in between. See pictures above.
- Heat the oven at 185°C /375 F.
- Allow the buns to rise again while the oven heats up, for about 10-15 mins.
- Egg wash the buns with the lightly bitten egg and place the buns in the oven. Bake them for approximately 30-35 minutes (if the oven is fan assisted) or a little longer, until nice and light brown in colour.
Natalie says
Absolutely delicious. I love that you used spelt flour here. I will definitely make this for my boys over the weekend. Thanks for the recipe.
Jessica Stroup says
Yummy! A new family favorite!
Lizet Bowen says
Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls?? But I haven't tried them with chia. I've been adding them to my muffins and banana bread but never thought of adding it to cinnamon rolls. Can't wait to try it!
Ramona says
thank you Lizet,
It is delicious indeed!
Alexandra says
yummy tusi arata foarte bine si cred ca si foarte gustoase
Ramona says
ha ha multumesc iubita mea sunt superbe 😉 sa le faceti si voi
Sharon says
I have made these over the weekend and they were fantastic!! Really nice and so fluffy. I have tried these in the past ut I found your recipe the best so far. I followed your instructions religiously and wow! This turned out a beauty that I need to make over the Christmas to impress my in-laws with, now that I know I can make it so well! Brilliant recipe, thank you so much for sharing! I'd happily give this a 6 star rating if I could 😉
Ramona says
Aww, thanks you so much Sharon, you made my day! I am so happy you liked it too, I am sure your in-laws will be way impressed! 😉 xx
Alexandra says
These are perfect for Christmas morning breakfast!
Ramona says
Thank you Alexandra - oh yeasss! I agree.
Moop Brown says
These look super tasty- I love the addition of the jam to this recipe as well!
Chef Dennis says
those cinnamon rolls are calling out to me! I can't wait to make up a batch in my kitchen
Paula Montenegro says
I might keep the whole skillet for myself, they look so tempting! The idea of adding seed and using spelt flour is very appealing as I try to use alternative flours as much as I can. I can't wait to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!
Denise says
What a delicious treat to wake up to. I may have to surprise my family with these Easy Cinnamon rolls!
Veronika Sykorova says
Oh my! These look sooo good! I haven't tried cinnamon rolls with jam yet so I'm excited to make these this weekend!
Heidy says
These cinnamon rolls with homemade jams were super good and so easy to make with all the helpful instructions. I think next time I will make a double batch and freeze some!
kylee says
Wow, this is an original! Love the use of chia seeds here, an added pinch of fiber and protein is awesome!
Sharon says
These cinnamon rolls are a great sweet treat, but they also have lots of good for you stuff like chia seeds & homemade fruit jam.
Ramona says
Thanks, Sharon, they are indeed, aren't they?
jill says
These went over great at my house. They were delicious! I'll for sure be making them again!
Emily Flint says
Such an interesting combination of flavors for cinnamon rolls and they look amazing!
Gloria says
I love sweet rolls for breakfast on the weekend. Perfect for brunch. Great for an afternoon treat paired with a latte.