Put ripe bananas to delicious use with banana bread cinnamon rolls! Soft dough and sweet cinnamon swirls make this homemade breakfast worth waking up for!!
If you have a few very ripe bananas sitting on your counter, make these banana bread cinnamon rolls before anyone turns them into a smoothie!
They are soft, fluffy, warmly spiced, and packed with real banana flavor, with a buttery brown sugar swirl tucked into every tender layer and a tangy cream cheese frosting that melts into all those little cinnamon pockets!
Ingredients
For the Cooked Flour-and-Milk Mixture
- 25 g all-purpose flour, about 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
- 125 g whole milk, about 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon
For the Banana Dough
- 475 g all-purpose flour, about 3 3/4 cups when spooned and leveled
- 7 g instant yeast, 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 60 g light brown sugar, 1/4 cup packed
- 8 g fine salt, 1 1/4 teaspoons
- 100 g whole milk, warmed to about 100°F (38°C)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 120 g very ripe banana, mashed smooth, usually 1 large peeled banana
- 60 g unsalted butter, softened, about 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons
For the Cinnamon Filling
- 75 g unsalted butter, softened, about 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
- 100 g light brown sugar, 1/2 cup packed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 60 g toasted pecans, finely chopped, optional
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 113 g full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 45 g unsalted butter, softened, 3 tablespoons
- 100 g powdered sugar, about 3/4 cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 small pinch fine salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, as needed
Yield: 12 large cinnamon rolls
How to Make Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
Whisk 25 g flour and 125 g milk in a small saucepan until smooth, then place it over medium-low heat and stir constantly with a spatula. Within 2 to 4 minutes, it will thicken into a loose pudding.
When your spatula leaves a clear path across the bottom and mixture reaches roughly 149 to 158°F (65 to 70°C), take it off the heat. Scrape it into a large mixing bowl and let it cool until warm rather than hot, around 100 to 110°F (38 to 43°C).
Do not add steaming tangzhong to yeast dough, because hot liquid can weaken or kill yeast before it gets a chance to do its job.
In a separate bowl, whisk 475 g flour, instant yeast, brown sugar, and salt together. Add this mixture to cooled tangzhong along with warm milk, egg, and mashed banana. Mix with a dough hook on low speed for 2 minutes, or stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until no dry flour remains. The dough will look rough and sticky at this stage, which is perfectly normal. Let it rest for 5 minutes so flour can absorb some liquid before you decide it needs more flour.
Mix on low speed for another 2 minutes, then add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting until each piece disappears before adding the next. Increase to medium-low speed and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.
The dough should become smooth, stretchy, and slightly tacky, clinging to bottom of bowl while pulling away from sides. Stretch a small piece between your fingers; it should form a thin membrane before tearing.
If dough is truly wet and slumps like thick batter, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stopping after 2 tablespoons. Resist the urge to keep dusting flour over it, because a dry dough makes dense rolls and steals that soft banana-bread texture.
Lightly grease a clean bowl, place dough inside, and turn it once so the surface has a thin film of oil. Cover with a plate, reusable cover, or lightly greased plastic wrap. Let it rise in a draft-free place around 75 to 80°F (24 to 27°C) for 60 to 90 minutes, until nearly doubled. Timing depends on your kitchen, so watch volume rather than the clock. If you gently press one fingertip into dough and the mark slowly springs back, it is ready; if it snaps back immediately, give it more time.
While dough rises, prepare filling by stirring softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla into a thick, spreadable paste.
If using pecans, toast them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until they smell nutty and look slightly darker, then cool before adding them.
Do not use melted butter for filling, because it can run out of the spiral before the dough reaches the oven. Soft butter gives you an even layer that stays where you put it.
Turn risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press out large air pockets. Roll it into an 18 x 14-inch rectangle, keeping edges as even as possible without repeatedly re-rolling.
Spread filling across surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge. Sprinkle pecans evenly over filling if using them.
Roll dough from opposite long edge into a firm 18-inch log, using your palms to keep it even rather than pulling one side tighter than the other.
Pinch seam closed, place log seam-side down, and use unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife to cut 12 pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide.
Floss gives clean cuts without squashing layers, and yes, it is one of those baking tricks that feels suspiciously clever the first time you use it!
Arrange rolls cut-side up in prepared pan in a 3 x 4 layout, leaving a little space between each piece. Cover loosely and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes at room temperature.
They should look puffy, soft, and lightly pressed against neighboring rolls, but they do not need to double again. While they rise, heat oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in center.
If your kitchen is cold, second rise may take closer to 60 minutes. Do not rush this stage, because under-proofed rolls bake up tight in the middle.
Bake for 28 to 33 minutes, rotating pan once after 18 minutes if your oven browns unevenly. Tops should be golden brown, edges should look set, and center roll should register 190 to 195°F (88 to 91°C) when checked with an instant-read thermometer.
If tops are getting dark before center is ready, tent pan loosely with foil and continue baking. A pale center that still looks wet needs more time, even if edges already smell done.
Let rolls cool in pan for 10 minutes, which gives filling time to settle while keeping centers warm enough for frosting to melt into them.
Beat softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, then beat in vanilla and salt. Add milk or cream 1 teaspoon at a time until frosting is thick but easily spreadable.
Spoon it over warm rolls and gently push it toward edges so it sinks into swirls without disappearing completely. For distinct frosting ribbons, wait 15 to 20 minutes; for a glossy glaze that melts into every crease, frost closer to 10 minutes.
Both choices are correct, and nobody has to know which one involved the larger spoon!
Serving Suggestions
Serve banana bread cinnamon rolls warm, with coffee, black tea, chai, or a cold glass of milk.
Add sliced strawberries or a simple citrus salad if you want freshness beside rich rolls, or serve one alongside plain Greek yogurt for a breakfast plate that has a little tang to balance brown sugar and cream cheese.
For a brunch table, place rolls in their baking pan and let people pull them apart while still warm. If you want neat individual servings, transfer them to a platter after frosting has set for about 20 minutes.
Storage and Reheating
Because frosting contains cream cheese, cover rolls and refrigerate them within 2 hours of serving. They keep well for up to 4 days. Warm one roll in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or warm several in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
If you know you will freeze them, freeze unfrosted baked rolls in a tightly sealed container for up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm and frost before serving.
Finish one while frosting is still soft, then decide whether you are saving another for later. In my kitchen, that second roll usually has a very short future!
These banana bread cinnamon rolls are at their best warm, fragrant, and just messy enough to prove they were made at home, with fluffy banana dough, buttery cinnamon layers, and cream cheese frosting melting over every golden edge.
