Make-Ahead Freezer Cinnamon Rolls

General Conference weekend. Twice a year the whole Church watches ten hours of talks from Salt Lake, and twice a year I make a batch of something the kids can eat on the couch while we watch, because Conference is long and children are short on patience and cinnamon rolls are the bridge between the two. I've been making the same Conference cinnamon rolls since Ethan was a baby — a recipe from Brandon's mom, Linda, which is the only recipe of Linda's I use, and I will take that fact to my grave. They're good. They're simple. They rise while the first session plays and bake during the break and the smell fills the house and for a few hours on a Saturday morning in October, everything feels like it's supposed to.

Except it doesn't. Or it does, but the feeling has a hole in it now, the way a sweater has a hole — you can still wear it, it still keeps you warm, but you know the hole is there and the wind gets through. Elder Holland spoke about trials and I sat on the couch with Noah on my lap and tears running down my face and Brandon's hand on my knee and I thought: I believe you. I believe God is there. I just can't feel Him right now, and the not-feeling is its own kind of trial that nobody gives a Conference talk about.

Monday I did something new. I made a double batch of the cinnamon roll dough and froze half of it — rolled, cut, arranged in a foil pan, covered tight, labeled. CINNAMON ROLLS, 10/3/16, RISE OVERNIGHT THEN BAKE 350° 20 MIN. The idea hit me while I was cleaning up: if I can freeze soup and enchiladas and meatballs, why not breakfast? Why not the things that make a Saturday morning feel like it's supposed to feel? I put the pan in the freezer and stood there looking at it and thought: that's a future Saturday. That's a morning I've already made better. The accountant in me wants to calculate the savings. The mother in me just wants to know that next time life is heavy on a Saturday, I can pull a pan out of the freezer and give my kids cinnamon rolls and warmth and the illusion that their mother has it all together, which is the most important meal I make.

Mason came home from school with a bruise on his knee and a grin on his face. He'd been helping the custodian fix a broken shelf during recess. "I held the drill, Mom." He said it with the reverence other eight-year-olds reserve for video games. That boy. That strange, wonderful boy.

That image of Mason—holding a drill with the seriousness of someone doing real work, helping without being asked—is exactly the kind of moment that makes me want to do something kind for the future version of our family. These make-ahead freezer cinnamon rolls are what came out of that feeling: something warm and homemade that I could tuck away for a Saturday that hasn’t happened yet. Here’s how I make them.

Prep Time: 30 min | Rise Time: 1 hr 30 min | Cook Time: 22 min | Total Time: ~2 hr 25 min (plus freeze time) | Servings: 24 rolls (two pans of 12)

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one standard packet)
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp fine salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Cinnamon Filling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Cream Cheese Glaze

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine warm milk, yeast, and 1 tsp of the granulated sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir gently and let sit 5 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your yeast is old — start over with a fresh packet.
Make the dough. Add the remaining sugar, softened butter, eggs, and salt to the yeast mixture. Mix briefly to combine. Add 4 cups of flour and mix with a dough hook on medium speed (or stir by hand) until a soft, slightly tacky dough comes together, adding the remaining 1/2 cup flour a tablespoon at a time as needed. Knead 6–8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl cleanly.
First rise. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size.
Make the filling. While the dough rises, mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a small bowl until a smooth, spreadable paste forms. Set aside.
Shape the rolls. Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide evenly in half. Working with one half at a time, roll into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Spread half the filling evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge. Starting from the opposite long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam firmly to seal. Cut into 12 equal rolls using a sharp serrated knife or unflavored dental floss. Repeat with second half of dough.
To bake now. Arrange 12 rolls in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan, spacing them just slightly apart. Cover loosely and let rise 40–50 minutes until puffed and touching. Bake at 350°F for 18–22 minutes until tops are golden and centers are set. Cool 10 minutes before glazing.
To freeze for later. Arrange 12 cut rolls in a greased disposable foil baking pan (9x13-inch). Cover tightly with a layer of plastic wrap pressed against the rolls, then a layer of foil over the top. Label clearly: CINNAMON ROLLS — THAW OVERNIGHT IN FRIDGE, THEN REST 30 MIN AT ROOM TEMP, BAKE 350°F 20–25 MIN. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake from frozen. The night before you want to serve them, move the pan from freezer to refrigerator. In the morning, remove from the fridge and let the rolls rest at room temperature for 30–60 minutes. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 20–25 minutes until golden and cooked through. The house will smell exactly the way it’s supposed to.
Make the glaze. Beat cream cheese until completely smooth. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt and mix until creamy and pourable. Add a splash more milk if needed to reach a drizzleable consistency. Spread or drizzle over warm rolls just before serving.

Nutrition (per roll)

Make-Ahead Freezer Cinnamon Rolls — The Saturday Morning I Already Made Better