Peach Cinnamon Rolls
The best way to use your ripe summer peaches, this peach cinnamon rolls recipe is made with a brown butter, cinnamon peach filling, and the softest, fluffiest rolls dough. Drizzled with an easy almond flavored icing, it’s the perfect bake for breakfast or a sweet treat.
Quick Look: Peach Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Fermentation Time: 90 minutes
- Bake Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 18 minutes
- Servings: 18 peach rolls
- Calories: 439 kcal
- Cook Method: Baked at 350°F
- Flavor & Texture: The peach filling has a slightly nutty flavor from the brown butter with a hint of coziness from the cinnamon and nutmeg. The rolls are soft and slightly sweet.
- Difficulty: Easy to Medium
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE CONTENT ON:
If you look forward to peach season all summer long like I do, you’ll love this peach cinnamon rolls recipe! Using the same dough as my Homemade Cinnamon Rolls, my Crescent Roll Dough, these sweet rolls are the perfect summer version. This peach filling is similar to the one I use in Peach Bread, and Peach Crumble Pie is something you could eat by the spoonful! You’ll love how yummy it is baked into a fluffy, soft sweet roll!
Table of contents
Ingredients for Peach Cinnamon Rolls
- Peaches: This peach cinnamon roll filing is incredible! It’s made with fresh peaches, cooked in browned butter and cozy spices like cinnamon and nutmeg! If you love this filling, you’ll also love using it in my Peach Cobbler Quick Bread. The peaches are perfectly spiced, just like in my Sourdough Peach Cobbler.
- Bread flour: Bread flour has a higher protein content (11-13%) than an all-purpose flour (10-12% protein). Higher protein flours are more efficient at developing gluten – a web-like structure that hold holds bread together as it rises and bakes.
- Nonfat Powdered milk: In breads, the natural milk sugars and proteins caramelize during baking, resulting in a golden crust. They also act as natural tenderizers, making the cinnamon roll softer, while also extending the freshness. p
- Instant Yeast: I prefer to use instant yeast vs. active dry yeast, because it can be added directly to the recipe without having to proof first. It’s a strong, fast acting yeast that will allow these sweet rolls to rise quickly. I like to use BellaRise instant yeast or SAF instant yeast.
- Dry Potato Flakes: Potato flakes in rolls are an easy way to instantly add moisture! The starchiness from the potatoes absorbs the liquid from the dough, yielding a roll that is super soft and will stay fresh for days.
- Butter Flavor Shortening: This is a unique ingredient to my roll dough, I use for many recipes, but really makes a big difference! Shortening coats the gluten strands and gives the rolls a finer, almost velvety crumb, while also delaying starch retrogradation – meaning, it will keep the cinnamon rolls from drying out prematurely.
Find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Peaches: Fresh, ripe peaches are best for peach cinnamon rolls, but you can replace them with frozen peaches. Thaw them first, then drain any extra juices before making the peach filling. I don’t recommend using canned peaches – they’ve already been cooked and will be too soft for the filling.
- Bread Flour: You can swap out bread flour for all-purpose flour. However, since it has a lower protein content, the roll dough may be stickier, and difficult to work with. I suggest reducing the water by 10% to help make it more manageable.
- Powdered Milk: If you are looking for a non dairy option, try using a milk powder substitute like coconut, soy or rice powder. You could also swap out the powdered milk for fresh milk if needed. For the liquids, use 1/4 cup whole milk (80g) and 1 1/2 cups (340g) water. Make sure you warm the milk to lukewarm temp, about 80°F.
- Instant Yeast: You can use active dry yeast instead, but you will need to bloom it in the water first. You can also use natural yeast (sourdough starter). Use one cup (240g) active starter and remove 120g of the water and 120g of the flour. Rise times will be longer.
- Potato Flakes: If needed, replace with real potato: bake the potato until tender, and mash until there are no lumps. Use about 1/2 cup (80g) mashed potato.
- Butter Flavored Shortening: If you’d rather not use shortening, replace it with additional butter, 1/2 cup/1 stick/113 g.
How to make Peach Cinnamon Rolls
Prepare the Cinnamon Peach Filling
Step 1: In a light colored saucepan, melt the butter until is has a light amber color and nutty aroma.
Step 2: Add the chopped peaches to the saucepan and stir together with the brown butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Then remove the pan from the heat and let the peach filling cool.
Make the Roll Dough
Step 3: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, yeast, sugar, powdered milk, potato flakes, eggs, butter, shortening, and half the flour. Mix with the dough hook, on low speed, until smooth.
Step 4: Gradually add the rest of the flour. Allow each addition to fully incorporate before adding more. You may not need all the flour, so stop the mixer occasionally add check the dough with your fingers. Knead the dough about 8 minutes, until smooth and cohesive.
Heather’s Note:
It’s important to know how your dough should feel before kneading, to prevent adding more flour than it needs. If you’re unsure if you’ve added enough flour to your roll dough, stop the mixer and lightly tap on it with your finger. It should feel soft, tacky, but not wet. If it feels wet, add 1-2 more tablespoons of flour, mix thoroughly, and then test the dough with your finger again. Knowing how your dough should feel takes some practice, but is a good skill for a bread baker to learn.
Bulk Fermentation (the first rise)
Step 5: Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover. Allow it rise in a warm place in your kitchen until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
The risen dough should feel light and fluffy. It will be domed on top, but won’t have many large bubbles on the surface or throughout.
How to Shape the Peach Rolls
Step 6: Roll the dough to a rectangle and spread the peach filling over the top. Leave a small border around the dough – the peach filling will slightly spread as it rolls, and you’ll need a clean border to pinch the dough together when it’s rolled up.
Step 7: Start with the long end, nearest you, and roll up the dough into a tight roll. Pinch the dough to the roll, making sure it is completely sealed.
Cut each roll, about 2-inches. I find using dental floss to cut cinnamon rolls is easiest – it doesn’t smash the rolls and is much quicker. These peach rolls can get a little messy, but if any peaches fall out as you’re rolling up, just tuck them back into the roll.
Final Proof & Bake
Step 8: Cover and let the peach cinnamon rolls rise until puffy, about 45 minutes. While they’re rising, preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C.
Step 9: Bake about 24 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the internal temperature of the peach cinnamon rolls reaches 200°F/93°C.
Frosting Peach Cinnamon Rolls
Once baked and cooled, add the yummy almond icing. I’ve included a bit of almond extract to the icing recipe. It tastes so good with the peaches! But if you prefer to leave it out, you can just use vanilla extract. Make the icing on the thicker side – it will set up nicely within 15 minutes and look really smooth and glossy. If it’s too thin, it will just get absorbed into the rolls.
Tips for making Peach Cinnamon Rolls
- Weigh your ingredients – I always suggest weighing out your ingredients with a food scale – you will get much more accurate results!
- Let the dough rest – After kneading the dough, if it seems really sticky, let it rest 10 minutes before deciding whether you should add more flour. It should feel tacky, but not wet.
- The filling – Don’t add too much peach filling when rolling up the dough. It will be really messy and hard to roll up. You can always add a few more peaches to the top, once they’re in the pan.
- Bake longer than you think – Since there’s fresh peaches in the filling, these rolls can easily end up doughy in the center if not baked long enough. Bake them until at least 200°F/93°C in the center. The edges should be golden brown. If the top is browning too quickly, lightly cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until done.
Make Ahead Options
- Freeze rolls to bake later: After rolling up and placing the rolls on a nonstick cookie sheet, put the entire pan in the freezer and allow the rolls to freeze for 24 hours. Once frozen, remove the sheet pan and you can pop them off and place them in a zip top bag and store in the freezer for later use. When baking frozen rolls, remove them from the freezer bag and place on a baking sheet. Allow them to rise and bake as usual. Rising frozen rolls could take 3-5 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Use within 6 weeks of freezing.
- Make the dough and filling the night before and refrigerate: Refrigerate the dough after kneading, for no more than 12 hours, as it will over proof. Fill and roll up the peach rolls. Cover and let proof. The peach cinnamon rolls will rise within 45-60 minutes.
More Fresh Peach Recipes You’ll Love
Peach Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Peach Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Filling:
- 3 Tablespoons butter (3 tablespoons)
- 525 g fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and cubed (3 cups) about 4 medium peaches
- 150 g granulated sugar (¾ cup)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 50 g cornstarch 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons
Dough Ingredients:
- 480 g warm water, about 100°F/37°C (2 cups)
- 30 g nonfat powdered milk (¼ cup)
- 40 g boxed potato flakes (½ cup)
- 100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)
- 9 g instant yeast* (1 tablespoon)
- 9 g fine sea salt (1½ teaspoons)
- 57 g unsalted butter, softened (¼ cup/½ stick)
- 96 g butter flavored shortening (½ cup)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature (100 g)
- 720 g unbleached bread flour, divided (6 cups)
Icing:
- 480 g powdered sugar (4 cups)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (10 g)
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3-5 tablespoons milk as needed
Instructions
Prepare the filling:
- In a saucepan, on medium low heat, brown the 3 Tablespoons of butter – melt and allow it to lightly simmer until it starts to brown. It should have a slightly nutty aroma.3 Tablespoons butter
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling: peaches, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until the filling thickens. Do not completely cook the peaches, just get them a little tender. Once the filling is thickened, remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool completely, at least 1 hour. I prefer to refrigerate the filling for this stage.525 g fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and cubed150 g granulated sugar½ teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice50 g cornstarch
Mix the dough:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the ingredients for the cinnamon roll dough: the water, powdered milk, potato flakes, sugar, instant yeast, salt, butter, shortening, eggs, and half the flour. Mix with the dough hook attachment, on low speed until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. 480 g warm water, about 100°F/37°C30 g nonfat powdered milk40 g boxed potato flakes100 g granulated sugar9 g instant yeast*9 g fine sea salt57 g unsalted butter, softened96 g butter flavored shortening2 large eggs, room temperature360 g bread flour
- While on low speed, gradually add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. You may or may not need the entire amount of flour. You can stop the mixer and check the dough by lightly tapping on it with your fingertip – it should feel soft, slightly tacky, but not wet. *When in doubt, it’s always best to go lighter on the flour. You can always add more flour later, but you can’t take flour away. Too much flour in your dough will give you dry, dense rolls.360 g bread flour
- Knead the dough on low speed for 8-10 minutes, or until it's smooth and cohesive. It should be mostly cleaning the sides of the bowl. If you take a piece of dough, you should be able to stretch it a few inches apart without it tearing.
Bulk Fermentation (first rise)
- Spray a large bowl with nonstick baking spray. Remove the dough from the mixer and place it the bowl. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
Divide & Shape
- Divide dough into two equal pieces, about 28-30-ounce each. Pre-shape each portion to an oval shaped piece of dough by pulling and tucking the sides under. This will make it easier to roll out into a rectangle. Place both pieces on the floured countertop.
- Working with one piece of dough at a time, flour the work surface and roll to a rectangular shape, about 10 inches by 18 inches.
- Spread half of the filling onto the dough, leaving a one inch border on all four sides. Start with the long side closest to you, and working from left to right begin to roll dough up. You can tug and pull as you go, tightening the roll. This can get messy – if peaches are sliding out, tuck them back in as best as you can. You can also place any extra peaches on top of the rolls. Pinch the edge to the roll, sealing the seam shut.
- Cut the roll into 9 equal size peach cinnamon rolls, about 2 inches each. To do this, slide a piece of dental floss or baker's twine underneath the roll. Bring both ends up and cross them over, cutting the roll cleanly.
- Place peach cinnamon rolls on a greased baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart. Use a bench scraper to clean off work surface. Roll out, top, and shape the second piece of dough, making an additional 9 peach cinnamon rolls. You should be able to fit all 18 peach rolls on one half-sheet baking sheet.
Final Proof
- Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let proof for about 45 minutes, or until they puff and have risen about 50% in volume. While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F/176°C.
Bake
- Bake for 18-24 minutes or until edges are golden brown and internal temperature reaches at least 200°F. Allow to cool before icing.
Prepare the Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the icing, adding the milk slowly until the desired consistency is achieved. A thicker icing will set up better on the rolls – add just enough milk for a thick icing that can also be drizzled. 480 g powdered sugar2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract½ teaspoon almond extract3-5 tablespoons milk
- Allow the icing to set for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can freeze the peach cinnamon rolls to bake later. Roll them up and place on baking sheet. Place baking sheet in freezer and allow to freeze solid (usually takes about 24 hours). Then store in Ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. To bake, place on baking sheet and allow to rise and bake as usual. Rise time will typically be 5-6 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.
- Save time and make the dough the night before and refrigerate – roll them up in the morning and let rise to double in size, about 45 minutes before baking.
- This dough is the same base dough for my Crescent Dinner Rolls. and Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. It can also be used for various sweet rolls by switching up the filling and the frosting. It’s called my “Master Roll Dough” on my blog.
- *If using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, bloom the yeast in the water first for 10 minutes to activate it. Then proceed with the recipe.
I love your recipes. I am a self taught baker. Baking is my passion. I love to bake and give it to family friend and neighbors. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and tips. That is how I have learned to bake.
Dee thank you so much for this sweet message! I’m so happy you are finding joy in baking! It brings me a lot of happiness too!
These look amazing and I would love to make them. Can you use all butter and leave out the shortening? I am not a fan of shortening, it seams to leave a film in my mouth.
Hi Sharon, yes you can replace the shortening with butter. When baked into the dough, the shortening isn’t much detectable but I understand the desire to swap out.
Thanks!!