Although baking cinnamon rolls to completion takes time, it is totally worth it. A moist and delicious cinnamon roll makes for an excellent breakfast. You can also serve cinnamon rolls to your guests whenever you’re hosting an event. Kids love cinnamon rolls and it can be a quick treat if you have some stored at home.
Regardless of how long they take to make, cinnamon rolls have simple recipes to follow. For this reason, it’s possible that you’ve made a large batch of cinnamon rolls for consumption on another day.
Preparing a large batch of cinnamon rolls – when you have the time – can save you from the stress of making it from scratch every time you or another family member has a craving. However, when you’ve made the delicious rolls in large quantity, you’ll need an effective method for preserving them.
Since freezing works great for other food items, can you freeze cinnamon rolls? Yes, you can freeze cinnamon rolls. When done the right way, freezing can preserve cinnamon rolls for up to 4 months. The cinnamon rolls must be packaged correctly for storage in the freezer; they are best sealed inside an airtight container after being wrapped in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Typically, cinnamon rolls can be stored at room temperature for about 2 days; they will have to be wrapped in aluminum foil and sealed inside a plastic freezer-safe bag. Additionally, the refrigerator can also prolong their shelf life by about 7 days if stored correctly.
Anyone who wants a longer time of preservation will have to use freezing. The cinnamon rolls can be frozen without being cooked or frozen after they’ve been cooked. What really matters is that you pack them correctly for storage in the freezer.
Freezing Cinnamon Rolls
If 2 days of storage at room temperature won’t be enough for you, simply freeze your cinnamon rolls instead. However, because of tricky it can be to preserve their moisture, you must be careful; even when baking, it can be a little tough to get cinnamon rolls moist.
So that you can have an easy time freezing your cinnamon rolls, I have put this guide together. It has all the relevant information that you need for preserving your cinnamon roll’s original taste and moistness inside the freezer.
How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls
Freezing Cinnamon rolls is quite simple. There are a few different approaches to successfully freezing cinnamon rolls. Here are the best ones I’ve chosen to review for you:
Freezing Cinnamon Rolls after Baking and Frosting
You can freeze your batch of cinnamon rolls after they’ve been baked and frosted. This methods works especially in situations where you have some leftover cinnamon rolls from a meal. Here are the steps to follow:
- Let the Cinnamon Rolls Cool Down – before packing them for the freezer, you must allow the cinnamon rolls to cool down if they’re still hot. Putting hot food in the freezer will cause moisture to form. This moisture will later freeze into ice crystals that cause freezer burn.
- Wrap in Aluminum Foil or Plastic Wrap – grab some plastic wrap or aluminum foil and wrap the individual cinnamon rolls in a single protective layer or two. The wrapping is done to prevent cinnamon rolls from coming in direct contact with cold freezer air.
- Transfer into Freezer-safe Plastic Bag – After wrapping properly, put all the cinnamon rolls in a plastic freezer-safe bag and label it with the present date. Try to remove as much air as you can from the freezer-safe bag before you keep it in the freezer.
- Keep safely in the freezer for up to 4 months and bring it out for reheating whenever you’re having a craving.
Flash Freezing Cinnamon Rolls Before Rising and Baking
Instead of baking and frosting the cinnamon rolls, you can just freeze them without those steps first and then finish them on a later date. Here are the steps you should follow:
- Cut Cinnamon Rolls and Pre-Freeze – After cutting the cinnamon rolls into the desired sizes, spread them on a cookie sheet; the cookie sheet should have been previously lined with some wax paper to keep the rolls from sticking during freezing. Make sure the cinnamon rolls aren’t touching each other so that they don’t end up sticking together in the freezer. If they end up getting stuck together, you’ll have a tough time separating them during defrosting.
- Allow to Pre-Freeze for Some Minutes – place the cookie sheet with the cinnamon rolls inside the freezer and leave them there for about half an hour. Once they’re all solidly frozen, take them out of the freezer for packaging.
- Wrap in Plastic Wrap and Transfer into Freezer-Safe Bag – Wrap each individual cinnamon roll in a plastic wrap and transfer them into a plastic freezer-safe bag. Use a marker to label the freezer-safe bag with the present date so that you’ll always know how long they’ve been frozen for.
How to Thaw and Reheat Frozen Cinnamon Rolls
When thawing and reheating frozen cinnamon rolls, you need to be careful. If done correctly, the cinnamon rolls will retain their delicious taste and moist texture.
To thaw the frozen cinnamon rolls, put them in the refrigerator and leave them overnight. Refrigeration is the best method of defrosting your frozen cinnamon rolls because it keeps the desired taste and texture unaltered.
After thawing overnight in the fridge, go ahead to reheat the frozen cinnamon rolls in a microwave. Heat the cinnamon rolls in the microwave for about 1 minute. After 1 minute, check to see if the rolls are well heated. If they aren’t, heat them again for another 30 seconds.
Because the microwave heats food really fast, it is best to keep an eye on it when reheating your cinnamon rolls.
Conclusion
Having some cinnamon rolls in storage at home isn’t a bad idea. You can always take them out of the freezer and reheat them whenever you have a craving. If you’ll be preparing a batch of cinnamon rolls for freezing, you can skip the baking and frosting for the time being – those can be done when you’re finally ready to have a nice breakfast of cinnamon rolls.