Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread

Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread is a Japanese dessert salt bread that combines the buttery goodness of shio pan with the cozy flavors of cinnamon rolls. Soft, fluffy dough is rolled around a sweet cinnamon sugar butter block and filled with light cream cheese whipped cream. The perfect cozy breakfast or dessert!

Cinnamon Roll Shio Pan

One of our all-time favorite desserts is cinnamon rolls, so it was only a matter of time before they showed up in another form here. I already have a cinnamon roll focaccia recipe on the blog that’s one of the most popular recipes, and there’s also my cinnamon roll bagels, which are still a family favorite. This time, we’re sharing a cinnamon roll salt bread, and honestly, it just makes sense! Cinnamon rolls are basically sugar and butter rolled into dough and baked, and salt bread is built around butter being rolled directly into the dough so the two ideas basically overlap.

These turned out so good that I might even like them more than classic cinnamon rolls. They’re lighter, not overly sweet, and work just as well for breakfast as they do for dessert. The cinnamon sugar butter melts into the center and creates this self-saucing situation, while the bottom fries and turns crispy in the oven. If a little of the cinnamon sugar leaks out, it caramelizes on the tray and gets crunchy— SO GOOD! This is easily one of our top three salt bread variations we’ve made so far.

Ingredients and Substitutions

We’re keeping the ingredients simple but flavorful. I used my soft crust shio pan recipe as the base because it stays soft and fluffy on the inside, with a lightly crisp bottom that doesn’t need reheating— perfect if you want to add cream cheese whip or a glaze later.

• 1 batch of salt bread: soft crust, semi hard or hard crust
• Topping salt: pearl, pretzel, flaky, or any fancy salt you like

And depending on what you choose to top or fill it with, you’ll need:

• Salted Butter
• Sugar: Brown sugar, white sugar and powdered sugar
• Cinnamon
• Cream Cheese
• Heavy Cream or Whole Milk
• Vanilla

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread

Here’s a quick overview before the step-by-step:

1. Prepare the salt bread dough through pre-shaping.
2. In the meantime, prepare the cinnamon sugar butter and freeze until it’s firm. Then cut into butter blocks.
3. Roll each piece into a long teardrop shape, spread butter down the dough, top with cinnamon sugar, place the cinnamon sugar butter block at the base, and roll to enclose.
4. Proof until puffy and doubled in size.
5. Top with salt and bake until golden and crispy bottom and top.
6. Cool completely before adding cream cheese whip or glaze.

VIDEO: Watch How to Make It

Serving Suggestions

my indesisiveness couldn’t decide whether i wanted them simple with just cinnamon sugar buttter, filled with cream cheese whip or topped with a brown butter cream cheese glaze… so i made all three and they were all so delicous on their own way, so im giving you all thrree options! stright out of the oven, they’re not too sweet and perfect for breakfast. for a more desserrt-like option, i love cream cheese whip. i can’t share my secret creeam cheese whip just yet, but i’ve provided a really close alternative! it’s tastes like a no bake cheesecake in a thicker whip cream consistency. the third option is a cream cheese brown butter glaze, this is great for something more classic and simple, plus easy to transport if you’re gifrting or bringing it to a party.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Plain or glazed rolls: room temperature up to 2 days
• Fully cooled rolls: freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months
• If using cream cheese whip: pipe just before serving

Reheating

• Quick microwave option: cover with a damp paper towel for 15–20 seconds.
• From frozen: thaw at room temperature first before reheating.
• Oven / toaster oven / air fryer: spray lightly with water and warm at 350°F (175°C) until soft, about 5–7 minutes.

Recipe FAQ

More Salt Bread Recipes

• Chocolate Salt Bread
• Maple Butter Salt Bread
• Honey Butter Salt Bread
• Sweet Potato Cheese Salt Bread

Enjoy! If you make this Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and rating below, and if you share it on social media, tag me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen. I can’t wait to see your creations!

Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread

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• Author: Lisa Kitahara
• Total Time: 3 hours 9 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

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Description

Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread is a dessert salt bread that combines the buttery goodness of shio pan with the cozy flavors of cinnamon rolls. Soft, fluffy dough is rolled around a sweet cinnamon sugar butter block and filled with light cream cheese whipped cream. The perfect cozy breakfast or dessert!

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Ingredients

Units USM

Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread

• 1 batch salt bread (semi hard crust egg vr. or soft crust)
• topping salt (pearl salt, pretzel salt, rock salt, fancy salt)

Cinnamon Sugar Butter

• 6 tbsp (80 g) salted butter, room temperature
• 3 tbsp (34 g) brown sugar
• 1 tsp (5 g) cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Whip

• 1 block (250 g) cream cheese block
• 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream 40% fat
  • or 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (200 ml) heavy cream 35% fat
• 1/3 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla pod

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 oz (112 g) cream cheese, room temp
• 1/4 cup (55 g) browned butter, softened
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp whole milk, as needed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

Cinnamon Roll Salt Bread

• Prepare 1 batch of salt bread dough, following your recipe through pre-shaping.
• In the meantime, make the cinnamon sugar butter (see below). 
• Roll each piece of dough out into a long teardrop. Place one piece of cinnamon sugar butter at the base of the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the rest of the dough if using. Roll downwards, fully enclosing the butter, and place seam-side (tail-side) down on a lined baking tray.
• Proof at 30–32°C (86–90°F) for 55–60 minutes, or until puffy and doubled in size.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
• Once proofed, uncover the rolls. Brush with egg wash (following the direction of the spiral) or lightly spray with water. Sprinkle salt evenly over each roll.
• Place the tray in the oven, immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C), and bake for 12–14 minutes, until deeply golden brown on the top and bottom.
• Remove from the oven and immediately brush with extra butter.
• If adding cream cheese whip, allow the rolls to cool completely. Slice down the middle and pipe the cream cheese whip from one end to the other 2–3 passes, depending on how generous you want to be.
• Serve and enjoy!!

Cinnamon Sugar Butter

• In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Transfer the butter mixture onto plastic wrap and shape into a rectangle about 9 × 6 cm. Wrap tightly and freeze until firm.
• Once firm, cut into 6 pieces (about 4.5 × 2 cm each). Keep chilled until ready to use.

Cinnamon Sugar

• Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Whip

• Using a balloon whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2–3 minutes until completely smooth.
• Add the heavy cream and mix on medium-low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high or high and whip for 2–3 minutes until soft peaks form.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks.
• Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.

Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze

• Smooth the room temperature cream cheese with a spatula. Add cooled, softened brown butter and mix until well combined.
• Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
• Stir in whole milk, 1 tbsp at a time, until the glaze runs off the spatula but isn’t too loose. Glaze while still slightly warm and then place them on a wire rack to allow the excess to drip off. 

• Prep Time: 177 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Category: Bread, Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Japanese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 280
• Sugar: 7 g
• Sodium: 620 mg
• Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5.5 g
• Trans Fat: 0.4 g
• Carbohydrates: 36 g
• Fiber: 1.3 g
• Protein: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 45 mg