Dental Floss Will Help You Cut Cinnamon Roll Dough Flawlessly

When you're on the hunt for the perfect indulgent accompaniment to your morning coffee, what do you typically choose? While you'd probably accept a traditional bagel and cream cheese or classic butter croissant, there's nothing quite like a warm cinnamon roll in all its layered and frosted glory. According to Statista, out of all the breakfast pastries available in the U.S., 67.46 million Americans opted for cinnamon rolls in 2020.

Unlike Swedish Kanelbullar which serves as the foundational backbone of the cinnamon rolls we know and love in the states (via Bakerpedia), our nation's rolls stand apart from other varieties due to the thick icing often layered atop the decadent pastries. Regardless of how we prepare them, it's safe to say our love for cinnamon rolls runs deep.

While Cinnabon, which is known as the fast food establishment for cinnamon rolls, has over 650 locations in the U.S. (via ScrapeHero), sometimes the only cure for a cinnamon roll craving is a fresh batch from your own kitchen. Whether you're making vegan cinnamon rolls with dairy-free icing or following a traditional recipe, you'll want to try this one simple trick for easy roll cutting.

Now that you're armed with all the essential baking tools and necessary ingredients to make homemade cinnamon rolls, it's time to start the process. According to Bakerpedia, the standard ingredients for homemade cinnamon rolls include flour, sugar, milk, eggs, yeast, salt, water, and of course, cinnamon. While lots of variations exist in measurements, Fleischmann's Yeast claims the overall process should take roughly two hours.

Beyond mixing in all your ingredients and allowing the dough to rise, when it comes time to roll up that yeasted dough with all of that cinnamon sugar butter, you want to be as precise as possible to allow those signature spirals to shine through. King Arthur Baking Company suggests using dental floss to give your rolls a nice clean cut. Place unflavored floss under the log of dough in two-inch sections, pulling the floss up and across each slice. The picture-by-picture process is outlined on the King Arthur website. Unlike a knife which can alter the shape of your cinnamon rolls, dental floss maintains the shape of your dough and adds a necessary element of precision. Interestingly enough, using dental floss to cut your next batch of rolls isn't the only trick you'll want to have available the next time you feel that baking itch.

With the countless options available at your fingertips including no-bake cinnamon rolls and Pillsbury's easy-bake version, when it comes to homemade rolls, there are a few tips you can follow to achieve not only the softest dough but to also maximize convenience. While Martha Stewart swears by adding a cooked potato to her cinnamon roll dough, King Arthur Baking Company uses a tangzhong of bread flour and milk to create a remarkably soft dough. Amassing popularity through the extended use by Taiwanese chef Yvonne Chen, a tangzhong is a semi-structured flour and liquid base that aids in the breakdown of flour's starch before mixing with other ingredients in a recipe.

To achieve a firmer dough when shaping, The Pioneer Woman claims refrigeration works wonders. In fact, What's Cooking America suggests storing cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator overnight and pulling them out to bake in the morning. This way you can handle part of the mess in the evening and streamline your morning breakfast routine. Whichever method of preparation you prefer, there are countless ways to simplify your cinnamon roll process. Next time you make a batch of homemade rolls, besides following your favorite tips, give dental floss a try and decide if this method of cutting truly makes a difference.