Ultimate Guide to Amish Cinnamon Rolls: Classic, Butterscotch, Caramel & Pecan Variations

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I've become quite the Amish cinnamon roll connoisseur over the years. I've tasted caramel pecan cinnamon rolls, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and coffee-iced cinnamon rolls. But I keep coming back to basics as my favorite, your classic, tried-and-true white-iced cinnamon rolls.

Jump to:

• Classic Amish Cinnamon Rolls {#classic}
• Incredible Amish Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls {#butterscotch}
• The Amish Cook: Gooey Caramel Cinnamon Rolls {#caramel}
• Georgia Pecan Cinnamon Rolls {#pecan}
• Tips & Techniques for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls {#tips}
• Storage & Make-Ahead Options {#storage}
• Frequently Asked Questions
• 🖨️ Full Recipe

After years of perfecting different variations and collecting recipes from Amish bakeries across the Midwest, I've put together this ultimate guide that covers everything from the traditional classic recipe to popular variations like butterscotch, caramel, and pecan versions that are beloved in Amish communities.

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Classic Amish Cinnamon Rolls {#classic}

The icing is key but so is the filling. Nothing worse than a dry cinnamon roll inside. And nothing beats homemade cinnamon rolls. SIGH, I have tried store-bought cinnamon rolls and they just can't compare. Yeah, those Pillsbury rolls in a can will do in a pinch, but only in a pinch. They just aren't the same as the fluffy cinnamon rolls that are true to Amish tradition.

Now, Cinnabon, well, yeah, those are amazing but only because they just slather on the sweet stuff. I mean, eventually if you pour enough frosting onto something it will be good, and Cinnabon accomplishes that feat.

Some bakeries try to compensate by drenching the outside in icing, but my favorite Amish-made cinnamon rolls are moist, sweet and cinnamony inside and basted with a medium-amount of icing. Nothing fancy. I just like the basics and I found some really good basic cinnamon rolls at an Amish bakery in southern Ohio the other week. Basic cinnamon rolls are the best cinnamon rolls.

The frosting is key, though, whether it is caramel, butterscotch, brown sugar, cream cheese frosting, or powdered sugar-based, you need a good smooth frosting. You don't want -in my opinion- a runny glaze.

I like the Amish bakeries that cook with wood-stoves the best. Bakeries that do everything with kerosene can sometimes absorb a kerosene flavor in the baked goods. Not good. Another cinnamon roll "no-no", don't put nuts or, Heaven forbid, raisins in them. Why ruin a perfectly good cinnamon roll by sticking in squishy, wrinkly raisins? Ugh.

Even though the instructions below seem very involved, these are actually pretty easy cinnamon rolls to make. These cinnamon rolls do take some time to make in the sense that you need to allow time to let the dough rise, to kneading, and the like. You can cut corners (at least from the Amish point of view) by using your stand mixer on a medium speed to get the dough ready as opposed to the Amish method of a wooden spoon. I'd not use a bread machine. Ah, nothing smells better than cinnamon roll dough.

Most cinnamon rolls rely on very basic ingredients and rolling pin: butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, some vanilla extract for the glaze, and, yeah, it takes more patience than ingredients to make the perfect Amish cinnamon roll.

By the way, for this recipe we use all-purpose flour, but I do know of plenty of Amish recipes that call for bread flour, so you could probably use bread flour if you had it on hand. These cinnamon rolls will freeze well when you are done. So if you have leftover you can stick them in the freezer and thaw them out when you are ready for them.

The filling on this calls for two teaspoons of cinnamon, but when I make them I usually bump up the amount. I am happy with two tablespoons, but that is up to you and how much cinnamon you like!

When it is time to slice your cinnamon rolls, most Amish bakers would just use a sharp knife, but some people swear by dental floss as being the best thing to use (don't use the mint flavor!)

Classic Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls

• 3 ½ - 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ½ teaspoon or 2 packages regular or fast-acting dry yeast
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ cup butter or margarine (½ stick) room temperature
• 1 large egg
• Cooking spray to grease bowl and pan

Cinnamon Filling

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use 2 tablespoons)
• ¼ cup butter or margarine (½ stick) room temperature

Classic Vanilla Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1-2 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Cinnamon Rolls & Filling

1. In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, the salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
2. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until very warm.
3. Add the warm milk, ¼ cup butter and egg to the flour mixture.
4. Stir well with your wooden spoon.
5. Then stir in enough of the remaining flour, about ½ cup at a time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle.
6. Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop.
7. Place dough on floured surface.
8. Knead about 5 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy.
9. Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray.
10. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides.
11. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
12. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup sugar and the cinnamon for the filling & set aside.
13. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13x9 inch pan with the cooking spray.
14. Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop.
15. Place dough on the floured surface.
16. Using your hands flatten dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle.
17. Spread ¼ cup butter over dough to within ½ inch of edges.
18. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture.
19. Beginning at a 15-inch side, roll dough up tightly.
20. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal edge.
21. Stretch and shape roll until even and is 15 inches long.
22. Using a sharp serrated knife cut roll into 15 (1-inch) slices.
23. Place slices slightly apart in the pan.
24. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
25. Remove plastic wrap.
26. Move the oven rack to the middle position of the oven.
27. Heat the oven to 350°F.
28. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
29. Immediately remove rolls from pan; place right side up on a cooling rack.
30. Cool 5 minutes.

Classic Vanilla Glaze

1. In a medium bowl, mix powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk with spoon until smooth and spreadable.
2. If glaze is too thick, stir in remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time.
3. Spread glaze over warm rolls. Serve warm.

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Incredible Amish Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls {#butterscotch}

Few things make an Amish farmhouse smell better than the scent of cinnamon rolls lifting from a wood-fired oven, filling the home with a decadent aroma. And these Incredible Amish Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls will definitely fill your home with a super smell and your stomach with an equally super taste.

Many Amish homemakers have their own "secret" family recipes for cinnamon rolls, whether they use a special flour, extra cinnamon, chocolate chips, caramel, maple, and on and on. The list of variations on cinnamon rolls are as extensive as the Amish bakers. These Incredible Amish Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls are another variation.

One of the first Amish-made foods I ever tasted was a homemade cinnamon roll and, wow, the feeling of cutting it out from the pan, plopping it warm onto a plate, and tasting it is indescribable. Unlike doughnuts which are so light and fluffy that you wonder where they went, a cinnamon roll, on the other hand, is dense and more filling, which I like. You have a couple of those and they just fill you up. And you can add frosting and filling and, wow, so good.

The type of ovens that Amish cooks use for baked goods like cinnamon rolls vary greatly. More conservative communities still use mainly wood-fired ovens, many use kerosene still, and some use gas. Personally, I love the taste of baked goods made in a wood-fired oven.

These Incredible Amish Butterscotch Cinnamon Rolls are so good in their flavor, the mashed potatoes as one of the main ingredients add a superb texture.

What Makes This Recipe Special

This butterscotch variation uses mashed potatoes in the dough - a technique that creates incredibly moist, tender cinnamon rolls. You can use instant mashed potatoes for this recipe or whip up your own. The butterscotch frosting is mixed right into the filling before rolling, then reserved for topping after baking.

Butterscotch Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Dough

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ⅔ cup shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup lukewarm mashed potatoes
• 7 to 7 ½ cups bread flour

Butterscotch Filling & Frosting

• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup butter or margarine
• Cinnamon (amount varies to your taste)
• Milk (amount varies to your taste)
• Powdered sugar (amount varies to your taste)

Instructions

1. Dissolve yeast in water.
2. Stir in sugar, salt, shortening, eggs, and potatoes.
3. Add 3 cups flour and beat 2 minutes.
4. Add remaining flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place in greased bowl and cover for about an hour, until dough doubles.
6. For the frosting, cream together brown sugar, milk, powdered sugar and butter, add small amount of water to mixture so it spreads easily on the dough before rolling up.
7. Use half of the frosting and then reserve remaining frosting.
8. Divide dough in half. Roll each into a 9" X 15" rectangle.
9. Spread with frosting mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon.
10. Roll tightly starting at wide end.
11. Pinch edges to seal. Cut into 1 ½" slices.
12. Place on greased 9" X 13" pan.
13. Allow rolls to double for 2-2 ½ hours.
14. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

As you can see, these are so good...just drenched in butterscotchy goodness. You'll definitely want to try these if you like butterscotch and cinnamon rolls!

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The Amish Cook: Gooey Caramel Cinnamon Rolls {#caramel}

Making cinnamon rolls is something akin to an art among the Amish. Each Amish baker seems to have their own way of making these melt-in-your-mouth creations. Man, nothing, to me, symbolizes Amish baking more than a perfect pull-apart cinnamon roll with a thick frosting and warm interior. Wow.

This recipe comes from Gloria Yoder, an Amish wife and mother of six from Flat Rock, Illinois, who writes "The Amish Cook" column. As Gloria says, "If you don't feel confident, just do what the Amish Cook did, grit your teeth and say, 'I can do this!'"

What Makes This Recipe Special

This caramel variation uses instant pudding in the dough - a technique that creates incredibly soft, tender cinnamon rolls that stay moist for days. The homemade caramel icing is cooked on the stovetop for a rich, glossy finish that's absolutely divine.

Gooey Caramel Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Dough

• ½ cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 ½ ounces vanilla instant pudding
• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups bread flour

Cinnamon Filling

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Caramel Icing

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon caramel flavoring or vanilla
• 6 tablespoons milk
• powdered sugar (to desired consistency)

Instructions

For the Rolls:

1. Combine first three ingredients (water, yeast, sugar).
2. Mix pudding with milk and add to yeast mixture.
3. Stir in melted butter, beaten eggs and salt.
4. Add flour, mix well. Roll dough on floured surface.
5. Spread with 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1 ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
6. Roll up and slice 1 inch thick.
7. Place on a greased cake pan.
8. Let rise until double.
9. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until done. Cool.

For the Caramel Icing:

1. Stir butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted.
2. Add salt and milk and bring to a boil.
3. Cool slightly, add flavoring then add powdered sugar to desired consistency.
4. Spread over cinnamon rolls.

Tips From The Amish Cook

• Roll the dough out in a couple different batches, then roll it as thin as possible to have plenty of cinnamon and sugar in each bite.
• After placing cinnamon roll into cake pan, give it a couple pats on top to keep the center from popping up during rising time.
• Frost rolls while still just a bit warm. It will produce shiny rolls.

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Georgia Pecan Cinnamon Rolls {#pecan}

While there are no Old Order Amish communities in Georgia, there is a Beachy Amish settlement. This Plain community in Montezuma has many of the cultural and culinary characteristics of the Old Order Amish.

The Amish do not have a rich culinary history with the pecan. The Amish are far more likely to incorporate walnuts and even peanuts - which are widely and commercially available - into their cooking and baking. But pecans have gradually caught on among the Amish. Some ways in which they are used include: Pecan Pie (Oatmeal pie is a common alternative to pecan pie, but among the Amish of Montezuma, pecan pie is popular!), Pecan Pancakes, and these delicious Pecan Cinnamon Rolls.

What Makes This Recipe Special

This Georgia variation is actually more like a sticky bun - the pecans and brown sugar syrup go in the bottom of the pan, and you flip the rolls over after baking. The result is a gooey, pecan-topped cinnamon roll that's absolutely divine.

Georgia Pecan Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Dough

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 4 cups flour
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten

Pecan Topping (goes in bottom of pan)

• ¾ cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Cinnamon Filling

• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar and yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup butter and salt; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
3. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 ½ cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
5. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
6. While dough is rising, melt ¾ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in ¾ cup brown sugar, whisking until smooth. Pour into greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle bottom of pan with ½ cup pecans; set aside.
7. Melt remaining butter; set aside. Combine remaining ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup pecans, and cinnamon; set aside.
8. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar/pecan/cinnamon mixture.
9. Starting with the long side, tightly roll up the dough and pinch the seam to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut into 12 slices.
10. Place rolls cut side up over pecan mixture in prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
12. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.
13. Serve warm.

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Tips & Techniques for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls {#tips}

Dough Consistency: The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Don't add too much flour or your rolls will be dense.

Rising Time: First rise should double the dough (about 1 hour). Second rise after shaping should be until puffy (30-45 minutes).

Slicing: Use unflavored dental floss or a very sharp knife. Don't saw back and forth - make one clean cut.

Temperature: Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.

Glazing: Always glaze while rolls are still warm for best absorption.

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Storage & Make-Ahead Options {#storage}

Freezing: Baked rolls freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Wrap individually and thaw at room temperature.

Make-Ahead: You can prepare rolls up to the point of the second rise, cover and refrigerate overnight. Let come to room temperature before baking.

Reheating: Warm individual rolls in microwave for 15-20 seconds or in 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use bread flour instead of all-purpose? A: Yes! Many Amish recipes call for bread flour. It will give you a slightly chewier texture.

Q: How do I know when the dough has risen enough? A: It should double in size. Press two fingers into the dough - if the indentation remains, it's ready.

Q: Can I make these dairy-free? A: You can substitute non-dairy milk and vegan butter, though the texture may be slightly different.

Q: What's the best way to slice the rolls? A: Unflavored dental floss works great! Slide it under the log, cross the ends over the top, and pull to slice cleanly.

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These recipes represent years of tasting and perfecting cinnamon rolls from Amish bakeries across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Each variation has its place, but they all share that characteristic tender, fluffy texture and perfect balance of sweetness that makes Amish cinnamon rolls so special.n Buns

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