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Peach Butter Cinnamon Rolls

June 13, 2018
4.5
17 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 13 hours
  • Cook time 40 minutes
  • Makes 9 big, fatty rolls
Author Notes

This recipe is featured in the story, Perfect, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls Get a Summertime Upgrade, sponsored by Bosch.

Growing up, cinnamon rolls were a big deal in my family. Sometimes, we’d bake them from scratch, other times we’d share a particularly giant one from the best bakery in town. They were at many a breakfast table in our house—and they continue to be one of my most made and loved baked goods in my home today. But come summer, I have a hard time not using fresh produce in everything I can, while I can. So these peach rolls were born. They're gooey, buttery, and soft—just like my favorite cinnamon rolls—but also sweet, juicy, and a little tart thanks to fresh summer peaches. Throw in some icing and you’ll fall in love as hard as I did the first time I baked these.

Peach butter is one great choice for summer—but I make these rolls year round. In fall, you can substitute apple butter, pumpkin butter, or make classic cinnamon rolls. In winter, I love to fill them with citrus curd. And in spring, I’ll make a thick rhubarb or strawberry jam as the base for the filling. (Another option: Make some extra peach butter for canning, so you can use it all four seasons. It also freezes well in freezer canning jars.)

Note: You can adjust the recipe to be made all in one day by warming the milk to around 100º F before adding it to the mixer. Let the dough rise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at room temperature, then instead of refrigerating overnight, refrigerate for 1 hour (or until the dough is firm) before proceeding. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

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Peach Butter Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
  • For the dough:
  • 5 3/4 cups (693 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (99 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (10 g) instant dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) kosher salt
  • 4 large (227 g) eggs
  • 1 cup (227 g) cold milk
  • 2 sticks (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • For the peach butter:
  • 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) peaches, diced (I don’t peel my peaches, but you could!)
  • 1/2 cup (99 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (52 g) honey
  • 1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
  • 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (less than 1 g) freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) cider vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon (less than 1 g) almond extract (optional)
  • For finishing:
  • 1/3 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour
  • Egg wash, as needed
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
  1. Make the dough the day before you want to make the rolls. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt to combine.
  2. Add the eggs and milk and mix on low speed until the mixture forms a ball around the hook, about 4 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough is very smooth, 5 more minutes.
  3. Continue mixing the dough on medium speed and add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well to incorporate after each addition. All of the butter should be added over about 3 minutes of mixing.
  4. Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl and let rise at room temperature, covered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough is very enriched, so it may not expand much.
  5. While the dough rises, prepare the peach butter. In a large pot, combine the peaches, sugar, honey, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vinegar. Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are very tender and begin to break down, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and discard.
  6. Use a hand blender, blender, or food processor to process the mixture until it’s smooth, then return to the pot and continue to cook until the mixture thickens slightly, 30 to 45 minutes more. Stir in the almond extract, if using. Refrigerate overnight.
  7. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and pat out into a rectangle with about 1-inch thickness. Cover directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  8. The next day, preheat the oven to 375º F. Grease a large casserole or 9 x 13-inch baking dish generously with softened butter.
  9. Lightly flour your work surface, then turn the dough out onto it. Remove the parchment from the dough, and flour the top surface of the dough. If the dough feels particularly sticky (sometimes in the summer it can give you a little trouble since it’s so rich and buttery!), you can pat it out on parchment paper. Use your hands to pat out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2-inch thick (it should be about 10 x 15 inches). If the dough feels really soft at this point, refrigerate it to firm it up before proceeding (5 to 10 minutes).
  10. In a medium bowl, whisk the chilled peach butter with the 1/3 cup flour to combine. Spread the filling in an even layer all over the dough—all the way to the edges!
  11. Starting with one of the long sides, begin to roll the dough into a tight spiral (if you’re using parchment, you can use it to help you roll the dough up, too). Use your thumbs to prop the dough off the work surface and use your fingers to keep the roll tight while you work. If the dough feels really soft at this point, you can refrigerate it again before slicing (10 to 15 minutes).
  12. Slice the finished roll into 9 even pieces (these are big rolls). Arrange the rolls inside the prepared baking dish, leaving about 1/4 inch between each one. Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
  13. Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash and bake until they are golden on the surface and the filling is bubbly, about 35 to 40 minutes.
  14. While the rolls bake, whisk the powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla to combine.
  15. When the rolls are baked, let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then spread or drizzle the icing on top. Serve warm.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

22 Reviews

Rossyboots August 16, 2022
This is a great recipe. I don’t love the idea of a morning bun as thick as is suggested here, rolling the dough out into a 10x15 rectangle before before putting down the peach butter. I elected to go much thinner so as to get more of a spiral and what I find to be a better peach/bread ratio.

The peach butter isn’t overly sweet and this makes for a great office sharing item.
Renée R. November 10, 2020
This is my third time making these. I made a huge batch of peach butter at the beginning of peach season and just used the end of it. There are no words to adequately express how delicious these are. The dough is so soft and buttery. The peach butter is outstanding. Simply excellent in every way. I'll be making some apple butter so I can enjoy these this winter. I've also made the lemon curd variation and while it's delicious, my favorite is the peach. Bravo, Erin. You're a baking rock star!
Cheryl S. September 25, 2019
These were to die for!! I’ll ruined for regular cinnamon rolls now.
Vinaigrette September 10, 2019
Having followed the recipe exactly, I'm disappointed in the result and would not make these again.
Vinaigrette September 6, 2019
Is it OK to stop at #12 then freeze the rolls, to bake and ice them at a future time? If so, can the pan go directly from the freezer to the oven? Thank you.
Samantha B. August 28, 2018
These are soooo good. Made them over the weekend and wow I can't begin to explain how delicious they are. The peaches cut some of the sweetness of a normal cinnamon roll which is great. Make these! You won't regret it!
Suzanne S. August 27, 2018
Where you say that the vanilla bean is scraped, do you use only the bean or also the scrapings?
Luciana October 18, 2018
It's actually the insides/scrapings of the vanilla bean you want. You can discard the shell. :)
Miss_Karen September 10, 2021
Put the vanilla bean "shell" into your sugar canister. It gives the sugar just a whiff of vanilla.
Miss_Karen September 10, 2021
Put the vanilla bean "shell" into your sugar canister. It gives the sugar just a whiff of vanilla.
cosmiccook August 15, 2018
Could I use 1/3 cup of Almond flour instead of APF? I'd like to amp up the almond flavor that compliments the peach so well
Mel S. August 10, 2018
Hi! These look so delicious and I cannot wait to make them! Question- what’s your recommendation for doing this without a mixer? Is the dough okay to mix by hand? Thanks!
abby P. September 6, 2018
My mixer died about a minute after I added the eggs and milk, so I ended up finishing the dough by hand. Can confirm it’s doable, but took quite some time to work the butter in. We definitely thought they were worth the effort :)
Robin July 30, 2018
It is peach season here in Colorado, I cannot wait to make these!
Kristin S. July 28, 2018
when cooking the peaches etc., are we doing that over low, medium, or high heat? thanks!
Erin J. July 28, 2018
Medium at first, you may want to reduce it to low to prevent scorching, depending on your stovetop!
Mother D. July 26, 2018
Sorry. Should have read: I want to bake these...
Erin J. July 26, 2018
YUM! Apple butter rolls would be great! You can use about 1 1/4 cups!
Mother D. July 26, 2018
I want to back these with my made at home apple butter. What is the final measure/amount of peach butter from your recipe, that the remaing flour is added to, please?
Elizabeth July 26, 2018
In the list of ingredients it has all-purpose flour, but in the instructions it states to "mix the bread flour" - which flour is correct? AP or Bread?
Erin J. July 26, 2018
Thanks so much for pointing this out! It’s all purpose, and I’ve fixed it in the method! Thanks so much for your sharp eye!
Elizabeth July 26, 2018
Awesome...thank you. I'll be starting on these tonight!