Sweet-tart apples, soft buttery dough, and layers of cinnamon butter. This Giant Apple Cinnamon Roll makes a stunning brunch centerpiece, complete with a brown butter glaze so good, you’ll be licking your fingers.
Why make individual cinnamon rolls when you can make one giant one? This gorgeous apple cinnamon twist might just change the way you think about your breakfast buns.
The process starts the same way as traditional cinnamon rolls, but instead of slicing the dough into individual rounds, we’ll cut and twist it into a spiral and bake it all in one big happy pan. (Don’t worry – the swirl looks fancy, but it’s super easy to shape!)
The result is a tender, buttery yeast bread that you can slice like a cake, with layers of spiced apples and gooey cinnamon butter in every bite. But it’s the toasty brown butter glaze that really takes this bake to the next level.
Below, I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, with tips to help you pull off this lovely one-pan apple cinnamon roll at home.
👉 If you enjoy this recipe, you might also like Braided Cinnamon Bread, Fig & Brie Cinnamon Rolls, Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia, & Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake.
Recipe highlights
- Big-ass cinnamon roll: All the fun of classic rolls, baked into one gorgeous spiral
- Sweet-tart apples: Spiced apples add seasonal autumn flair
- Soft & buttery: Tender, fluffy yeast dough with plenty of cinnamon-swirled layers
- Brown butter glaze: Rich, toasty brown butter makes the perfect finishing touch
- Easy to shape: The twist is surprisingly simple to shape (step-by-step photos below)
- Made for sharing: A showstopping centerpiece for brunch or holiday mornings
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: ~30 mins • Rest/Proof: 2-3 hrs • Bake: 40-45 mins
🍴 Yield: 1 large twist (9-inch pan)
💪 Skill level: Intermediate
😋 Flavor notes: Cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, apples, brown butter. Pairs well with: Breakfast & brunch spreads, hot coffee, cold milk, whipped cream.
How to make this giant apple cinnamon roll
For full recipe details and ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card below. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview on how to make this apple cinnamon roll:
- Make the dough: Bloom the yeast with warm milk and sugar, then whisk in the egg and melted butter. Add dry ingredients and knead for 8-10 minutes.
- First rise: Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for about 1 hour.
- Prep the apples: Peel and dice apples, then sauté briefly with butter, salt, and cinnamon until softened. Store in fridge to cool.
- Make the cinnamon butter: Beat soft butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Roll & fill: Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread with cinnamon butter, then top with apples, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Shape: Roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seams together to seal, then place seam-side down. Cut log in half lengthwise, leaving a small section connected at one end. Turn the cut sides upward to expose the layers, then gently twist the two halves together, tucking the end under. Coil the twisted dough into a spiral and carefully transfer it to a buttered cast-iron skillet or a parchment-lined cake pan.
- Second rise: Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled and puffy, about 1 hour.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F until golden and baked through, 40-45 minutes.
- Glaze: Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before glazing. Whisk together the brown butter, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla, and milk until you have a smooth, pourable icing. Drizzle over the warm cinnamon roll.
Pro baking tips for success
Warm the milk just enough. When making the sweet roll dough, make sure the milk is 105 – 115° F before you stir the yeast in. If it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast.
Get the right dough texture. You’re looking for a sticky, moist dough so your roll comes out super soft and tender. After mixing the dough, it should feel somewhat wet and tacky without sticking to your fingers. If you need to add extra flour to the dough while it’s mixing, add just one tablespoon at a time until the texture is right.
Bake just right. The best way to decide if this giant cinnamon roll is done is to use a digital thermometer. Their internal temperature should be 180 – 190° F.
Variations & substitutions
Make individual apple cinnamon rolls. Yes, this can also be made into traditional cinnamon rolls! After rolling the filled dough into a log, slice it into nine even pieces and place them in an 8×8 baking pan. Follow the rest of the recipe as written, but adjust the baking time to 30-40 minutes.
Glaze alternatives. The brown butter icing is a perfect pair with the spiced apples, but if you want more options, here’s a few ideas:
- Honey cream cheese glaze from my Fig & Brie Cinnamon Rolls
- Salted maple glaze from my Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Focaccia
- Vanilla cinnamon glaze from my Apple Coffee Cake (double the glaze recipe)
- This pretty pink hawthorn glaze from my Hawthorn Shortbread Cookies
- Spiced toffee sauce from my Butternut Squash Cake
- Skip the glaze and just use Salted Caramel Sauce
Using instant yeast. You can use instant yeast instead of active dry. No need to bloom it first, just mix it into the sugar and warm milk and continue with the recipe steps. Note that the dough may rise a bit quicker if you use instant yeast.
Serving & storing giant apple cinnamon roll
Best eaten warm. This apple cinnamon twist is best the day it’s baked, still warm from the oven. However, it keeps well at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to 4 days.
Serve it at room temperature or re-warm it lightly in an oven or toaster oven.
To refresh: Warm in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. I like to wrap each slice loosely in foil before placing in the oven.
Make ahead: Want to bake this giant apple cinnamon roll first thing in the morning? No problem!
Simply prepare the dough with fillings and shape the twist the day before, then place it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, let it sit in a warm spot for 1–1½ hours, or until puffy and nearly doubled, then bake as directed.
If you make this Giant Apple Cinnamon Roll, please leave a star rating & comment below. I’d love to hear what you think or answer any questions. Thank you!
Giant Apple Cinnamon Roll
Equipment
- 9-inch cast iron or cake pan
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup warm milk, 100-115 F
- 2 eggs
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 – 3 ½ cups (360-420 grams) all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Apple filling
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 apples, peeled and diced small
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cinnamon butter
- 4 ounces (½ cup/8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, soft
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Brown butter glaze
- 2 ounces (4 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, thoroughly whisk together the 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast with 1 cup warm milk and 3 Tbsp sugar. Let stand for about 5 minutes, or until frothy. Whisk in 2 eggs and 2 ounces melted butter. Add 3 cups/360 grams of flour and ½ tsp salt; stir until the mixture comes together in a shaggy mass. Then attach the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.If dough seems too wet and sticky during the kneading process, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time. The dough will be soft and look shiny, but it shouldn't stick to your fingers.
- First rise: Place dough in a warm spot in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until roughly doubled, about 1 hour.
- Prep the apples: While dough is rising, prep the fillings. Peel, core, and dice 2 apples, then sauté briefly with 1 Tbsp butter, a pinch of salt, and ½ tsp cinnamon for about 5 minutes, or until lightly softened.Scrape apples into a bowl and place in the fridge to cool until the dough is ready.
- Make the cinnamon butter: In a small bowl, beat 4 oz soft butter with ½ cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and pinch of salt until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- Roll & fill: Once the dough is ready, place it on a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle that's roughly 12×14 inches and ½ inch thick (it doesn't need to be perfect).Tip: Move the dough to a large piece of parchment paper*. This makes it easier to move once you start shaping it. Spread the dough evenly with the cinnamon butter, leaving about a 1-inch border around all sides. Then top with the cooled apples, pressing lightly to adhere. This helps them stay in place during shaping.
- Shape: Roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seams together to seal, then flip the dough so the seam side is facing down on the work surface.Cut log in half lengthwise, leaving a small section connected at one end. Turn the cut sides upward to expose the layers, then gently twist the two halves around each other, tucking the loose end under. Coil the twisted dough into a spiral and carefully transfer it to a buttered cast-iron skillet or a parchment-lined cake pan.
- Second rise: Cover loosely and let rise in a warm place until roughly doubled and puffy, about 1 hour.When it's almost ready, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake: Bake until golden and baked through, 40-45 minutes. The internal temperature should be between 180° – 190° F. If it starts to brown too much at any point, you can cover it loosely with foil.Remove roll from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes before glazing.
- Glaze: Melt 2 oz butter over low heat in a small saucepan, then continue to cook on low until it turns light brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes or so. Pour brown butter into a mixing bowl and allow to cool for a couple minutes.Whisk in 1 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, and 2 Tbsp milk. Add more milk as needed until you have a smooth, pourable icing. Drizzle glaze over the warm cinnamon roll and serve immediately.
Notes
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