Cinnabon is known for their warm, gooey cinnamon rolls that are topped with creamy frosting. The aroma of Cinnabon bread wafting through the mall is enough to make your mouth water! But have you ever wondered what ingredients go into making Cinnabon’s famous cinnamon rolls so delicious? Here we will explore the main ingredients that give Cinnabon bread its distinctive taste and texture.
The Main Ingredients
Cinnabon does not provide their exact cinnamon roll recipe, as it is a proprietary company secret. However, by studying their nutrition information and ingredient lists, we can get a good idea of what goes into their product. The main ingredients in Cinnabon bread include:
- Flour – The base of the dough is made from enriched white flour. This provides structure and that soft, pillowy texture.
- Sweeteners – Cinnabon cinnamon rolls are sweetened with sugar and brown sugar. These give a sweet flavor and promote browning during baking.
- Eggs and butter – Eggs and butter help give the dough richness and moisture. The fat from the butter creates a tender texture.
- Milk – Milk adds moisture and more fat to the dough. Cinnabon likely uses whole milk.
- Yeast – Yeast is responsible for leavening the dough. It creates air bubbles that make the rolls light and fluffy.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon provides the distinctive spicy-sweet flavor.
- Vanilla extract – Vanilla brings out additional flavor notes.
- Salt – A pinch of salt balances out some of the sweetness.
Now let’s explore some of these key ingredients in more detail.
Enriched Flour
The main ingredient by weight in Cinnabon bread is enriched white flour. Enriched means that some nutrients have been added back to the flour after processing. Specifically, enriched flours have added iron and B vitamins like niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and folic acid. These nutrients help make up for some that are lost during milling.
White flour gives Cinnabon bread a soft and fluffy texture, instead of the chewy texture you would get from a whole wheat dough. The flour contains proteins like glutenin and gliadin that form into gluten when mixed with liquid. This gluten provides structure and stretch, allowing the dough to trap the air bubbles produced by the yeast.
It takes some skill to properly develop the gluten in Cinnabon dough – too little mixing and the dough won’t stretch or rise well, but too much mixing can make the dough tough. Finding the right flour balance and kneading technique is an important part of re-creating the Cinnabon experience at home.
Sugars for Sweetness and Browning
One of the defining characteristics of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls is their ultra-sweet flavor. Cinnabon uses both granulated white sugar and brown sugar to achieve this. Sugar not only contributes sweetness, but also enhances the yeast action, helps retain moisture, and promotes browning via the Maillard reaction during baking.
Granulated white sugar dissolves easily, sweetening the dough throughout. The team at Cinnabon likely uses a high ratio of sugar relative to the other ingredients. Brown sugar adds notes of molasses flavor. Molasses is a byproduct of refining white sugar from sugarcane, so it provides more complex caramelized flavors.
The amount and proportions of white and brown sugars impact flavor nuances. Too much brown sugar can make the taste overly molasses-like. The Cinnabon chefs work to find the perfect balance for their ideal sweetness and browning. When making homemade Cinnabon copycat recipes, you may need to experiment with the sugar amounts yourself.
Richness from Eggs and Butter
In addition to white flour and sugar, eggs and butter are essential ingredients that impart moisture and fat to Cinnabon dough. The egg yolks, in particular, contain fat and emulsifiers like lecithin that help incorporate the fat into the dough. This results in a rich, tender texture and crumb.
Meanwhile, the fat in the butter layers itself between the wheat proteins, preventing excessive gluten development. This contributes to the signature soft texture. Butter also dissolves during baking, leaving tiny pockets that create airiness.
Using both eggs and butter makes Cinnabon dough more tender and cake-like compared to typical lean yeast bread recipes. The moisture from the eggs and fat from the butter keep the crumb supple and moist. Finding the right proportions is key when adapting recipes for home kitchens.
Milk Adds Flavor and Moisture
In addition to eggs and butter, Cinnabon dough contains milk. Milk adds some moisture and fat, while also providing a creamy flavor. The lactose (milk sugar) in the milk also fuels the yeast fermentation process.
Cinnabon most likely uses whole milk in their dough, rather than skim or low fat milk. Whole milk has higher fat content, which contributes to a softer texture in the finished rolls. The extra creaminess of whole milk also boosts the flavor. Using milk instead of water makes for a more supple, rich dough.
The amount of milk used in the dough impacts the texture and flavor. Too much milk can make dough sticky and hard to handle. Not enough milk can make it dry and dense. Finding the ideal milk to flour ratio is an important part of perfecting any Cinnabon copycat recipe.
Yeast for Leavening
The leavening agent that gives Cinnabon bread its fluffy, airy texture is yeast. Yeast are tiny living organisms that consume sugars and produce carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct. In bread dough, the carbon dioxide gets trapped by the gluten, forming bubbles and pockets of air.
Cinnabon likely uses commercial yeast, either active dry yeast or instant yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in warm liquid before use, while instant yeast can simply be added in with the other dry ingredients. With adequate food and moisture, the yeast multiples rapidly during the proofing stage, producing lots of gas to leaven the dough.
Getting the proper yeast amount, proofing time, and baking temperature are essential for maximum rise. Under-proofed dough won’t have full rise and over-proofed dough can collapse. Cinnabon has specialized proofer cabinets that maintain the ideal environment for yeast growth. Controlling fermentation takes more skill and attention when making Cinnabon copycat recipes at home.
Flavor from Cinnamon
No Cinnabon cinnamon roll would be complete without ample cinnamon flavor. Cinnabon uses ground cinnamon in their dough as well as their famous cinnamon-sugar filling.
Cinnamon is derived from the inner bark of tropical cinnamon trees. It contains aromatic compounds like cinnamaldehyde that give it its distinctive spicy-sweet flavor and fragrance. These compounds are awakened during baking, making the cinnamon aroma waft through the air.
Cinnabon likely uses high-quality cassia cinnamon with a robust flavor. Cassia cinnamon is one of the most common varieties sold in the US and provides a stronger bite than other varieties like Ceylon. Too little cinnamon can result in dull flavor, while too much can be overpowering.
Salt for Flavor Balance
While sweeter ingredients like sugar and cinnamon take center stage, salt plays an important balancing role in Cinnabon bread. A pinch of salt enhances flavor and reduces the perception of sweetness. This allows the sweetness to not become overwhelming or cloying.
Salt also tightens and strengthens gluten, giving more structure to the dough for a better rise. The salt adds to the dough’s ability to retain moisture as well. Too much salt can make the dough tough and dry, so Cinnabon uses a light hand with the salt. But the right pinch provides essential flavor balance.
Additional Ingredients
In addition to the ingredients already discussed, Cinnabon bread likely contains a few other ancillary ingredients for optimal flavor, texture, and appearance including:
- Vanilla extract – Boosts flavor complexity
- Baking powder – Extra leavening and lift
- Spices like nutmeg – Layered flavor notes
- Emulsifiers – Strengthens gluten and retains moisture
- Preservatives – Extends shelf life and molds inhibition
- Food color – Enhances visual appeal
Professional Cinnabon bakers have access to specialized ingredients not found in home kitchens. But with the core ingredients and some trial and error, determined home bakers can come remarkably close. The ingredients may seem simple on their own, but artfully combining them is what creates the quintessential Cinnabon experience.
The Filling and Frosting
While this article is focused on the Cinnabon bread ingredients, we can’t forget about the sweet filling and decadent frosting that make these rolls over-the-top indulgent.
The filling is made with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, using more of that quality cassia cinnamon. The sugar caramelizes and concentrates the cinnamon flavor during baking.
The signature frosting is rich, creamy, and ultra-sweet. It likely contains confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, and soft butter blended together to a silky-smooth consistency. Precise whipping helps introduce air for a light and fluffy texture.
Conclusion
Cinnabon has mastered the art of cinnamon roll making by carefully balancing ingredients and process. Quality ingredients like enriched white flour, brown and white sugar, eggs, butter, and milk provide a sweet, tender dough. Yeast fermentation gives rise to the signature airy texture. Fragrant cinnamon provides unmistakable flavor.
While Cinnabon keeps their exact recipes secret, analysis of nutrition information and some educated guesses provide insight into how they craft such delicious cinnamon rolls. With high quality ingredients and careful technique, intrepid home bakers can come pretty close to the Cinnabon experience. Just be prepared for some trial and error – and having to eat a few extra cinnamon rolls!