The air fryer cinnamon rolls are soft and delicious treats famous worldwide.
Their history is ancient, but not too much. It wasn’t the Greeks and Romans who invented these small sweet buns rolled and filled with cinnamon. In fact, they used spices for flavoring beverages.
We must wait until the 17th century and fly to the Netherlands to find the first cinnamon-flavored desserts, which, with the conquest of Sri Lanka, became available in large quantities and at low prices for the European market.
Almost at the same time, we find in Sweden the Kanelbullar, the Swedish national pastry to which even a national day is dedicated, on October 4.
From old Europe, cinnamon rolls then flew to the United States, specifically to Philadelphia, thanks to some German Jewish immigrants at the end of the 18th century who enlivened the city’s German neighborhood with these soft sweet buns.
Reflecting a little on the dates, I wouldn’t know who to give the paternity or maternity of these delicious spiced sweets. But I would say it’s not that important; the important thing is that the recipe has come down to us.
Cinnamon rolls are commonly baked in the oven inside a large enough container, placed close together and then covered with glaze once baked. Using a not too small container ensures that in baking, the rolls come close to each other but do not grow in height, taking on the classic square shape.
I decided to experiment with cooking in the air fryer and must say the final result was excellent, except for the classic shape. I placed my cinnamon rolls in a small springform pan, and during baking, the rolls rose, turning into a wonderful rose cake.
The final effect on the palate hasn’t changed at all, the taste is rich as with traditional baking.
If sweet leavened dough is your passion, I want you to try these recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 9 pieces
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 368.73 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 58.81 (g) of which sugars 23.83 (g)
- Proteins 7.22 (g)
- Fat 12.74 (g) of which saturated 7.97 (g)of which unsaturated 4.36 (g)
- Fibers 1.66 (g)
- Sodium 46.01 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 90 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Manitoba flour
- 1 cup milk (warm)
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup butter (soft)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp milk
Tools
- Air Fryer
Preparation of Air Fryer Cinnamon Rolls
Dissolve the fresh yeast in a little warm milk.
Pour the flours, sugar, dissolved yeast in milk, melted butter, and the rest of the milk into a bowl and knead thoroughly until you get a smooth and soft dough.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about three hours.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/5 inch.
Mix the soft butter with sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
Spread the dough surface with the butter and cinnamon mixture, then, with the help of a smooth pastry cutter, make strips about 1 1/5 inches wide. Arrange the rolls inside a parchment-lined pan.
Cover with a towel and let rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the air fryer with the appropriate program; mine preheats at 401°F for 4 minutes.
Once the preheat program is over, place the pan in the basket and cook the cinnamon rolls at 329°F for 13 minutes.
Once cooked, let cool for a few minutes and remove from the pan by placing the cinnamon rolls on a rack.
In the meantime, mix the powdered sugar with the milk and glaze the rolls using a teaspoon.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
