Resurrection Rolls

If you’re looking for a delicious way to celebrate Easter, try these cinnamon sugar Resurrection Rolls. The homemade disappearing marshmallow rolls represent the empty tomb!

Our homemade dinner rolls are one of our most popular recipes, especially during a holiday season. There’s nothing like a comforting dinner without a warm yeast roll to serve on the side.

Although resurrection rolls were not a tradition of ours when I was younger, many of you have asked for a recipe for them. We took our buttery soft roll recipe and turned them into a delicious “empty tomb” roll with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. Serve them for breakfast on Easter morning!

Resurrection Rolls Recipe

Many resurrection roll recipes start with crescent roll dough that you buy at the store. That is definitely a quick and easy option that the kids can help with.

We are suckers for making bread dough from scratch. There’s just nothing like it! I think you’ll find that this homemade dough is also easy. You can tell the Easter story as you make the recipe together which makes this a great family activity.

How to Make Resurrection Rolls

The first step to making homemade resurrection rolls is to make the dough. You should find that this dough is soft and easy to work with. Here are a few hints!

• Our favorite yeast is Red Star Platinum yeast. It works beautifully every time. Make sure your yeast is fresh and not out of date. Always read the back of the yeast packet to see how you should add the yeast to the dough. Some will say to add it to dry ingredients, and with other types of yeast, you’ll need to “proof” the yeast in order to activate it.
• Make sure the temperature of your milk is correct. If you are adding the yeast right into the warmed milk, it should be about 100º-115º Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to test this. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your dough won’t rise.
• There are 3 choices to knead the dough: Use a bread machine on the dough setting. Knead by hand. Knead with a stand mixer. If you knead by hand, be careful not to add too much flour during kneading or your dough will be dry. The dough should feel slightly tacky, but not be sticking all over your hands.

How long does it take for dough to rise?

This recipe requires 2 rises of the dough. One is right after you knead it. The other is after they are rolled into dough balls. So how long does it take for your bread dough to rise? That really depends. Weather can be a huge factor when making bread. Temperature and humidity can all affect how bread dough rises.

Here are a few tips to help your dough rise:

• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover it with a cloth.
• Place the dough in warm place. This could be the oven (with either the oven light on or a pot of just-boiled water on the bottom oven rack). Our other favorite spot to allow the dough to rise is to place it on the counter where the sun is shining through a window. If you are lucky enough to have a little sunshine, this is a great option.
• Allow the dough to rise until double. This could take 20 minutes…it could take over an hour. But trust me…be patient and allow it to rise.

We’re not professional bread bakers so I can’t go into the science of how it all works, but if you just trust the process (fresh yeast, correct milk temperature, kneading, rising), your bread dough should come out beautifully.

Disappearing Marshmallow Rolls

The key to resurrection rolls are marshmallows!

• Divide the dough into 15 dough balls.
• Flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand.
• Place a large marshmallow in the middle of the dough.
• Wrap the dough around, being careful to completely cover and seal the marshmallow inside the dough.
• Roll the dough ball until it is smooth.
• Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Cinnamon Sugar Easter Rolls

Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, then allow them to rise a second time. The second rise *usually* doesn’t take as long….about 20-25 minutes.

After the dough balls have rise, brush them with melted butter, then sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. This makes them a great breakfast bun!

If you’d like a resurrection roll for your Easter dinner and don’t want it sweet, you could brush the top with butter then sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.

**Remember: The inside will be slightly sweetened from the melted marshmallow. So even if you make the tops savory, the inside will be sweet.**

How to Bake Resurrection Rolls

When we make our homemade dinner rolls, we bake them side by side in a 9×13 pan. That is definitely an option for these rolls also, but we found that the empty tomb looked better if each roll was spaced a little more on a baking sheet. They may touch very slightly after rising, but as you can see in the picture, each roll is separate.

How to Store Rolls

I find that these rolls are best served warm. If you have time, make the rolls right before serving.

I realize that is not always an ideal option. If you need to make these a day in advance, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also store any leftovers this way.

When you want to serve them, reheat them either in the microwave or the stove. If you reheat in the microwave you can cover with a cloth and just heat a very short amount of time…maybe 30-60 seconds.

If you reheat them in the oven, set the oven to 250º F. Place the rolls in an oven safe pan and cover with foil. Heat for just a short time (maybe 5 minutes) or until the rolls are as warm as you’d like.

Other Easter Recipes

• Easter Chick Cupcakes
• Easter Bunny Cupcakes
• Spring M&M Flower Candies
• Italian Easter Bread Rolls

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE Homemade ROLLS

• Stand Mixer: Ok, you don’t 100% need this, but it does make life easier.
• Red Star Yeast: My favorite yeast! It’s so forgiving and I have perfect baked goods, every time.
• Saigon Cinnamon: The best flavored cinnamon.
• Pastry Mat: This makes clean-up a breeze if you are kneading by hand.
• Silpat: For all of your non-stick, baking needs. This is in the top 3 must-have kitchen tools. I don’t know what I’d do without them!
• Baking Sheet: I like to use flat baking sheets for easy removing baked goods easily.

Resurrection Rolls

4.39 from 13 votes

If you're looking for a delicious way to celebrate Easter, try these cinnamon sugar Resurrection Rolls. The homemade disappearing marshmallow rolls represent the empty tomb!

Servings 15

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Rise Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 38 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

 

US Customary - Metric

• 1 cup warm milk (2%)
• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Platinum Yeast (1 package)
• 15 large marshmallows
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Put the milk (95-115 degrees Fahrenheit) and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk. (If the yeast is not instant yeast, let it sit for 5 minutes to activate.)
• Add the sugar, eggs, salt, and flour. (Be sure to not pack the flour into the cup. Spoon the flour into the cup carefully, then level it with a knife.)
• With a paddle attachment for your stand mixer, mix for a few seconds until just combined. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes.
• Switch the attachment to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.
• Divide and roll dough into 15 balls.
• Flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand.
• Place a large marshmallow in the middle of the dough. Wrap the dough around, being careful to completely cover and seal the marshmallow inside the dough.
• Roll the dough ball until it is smooth. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
• Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Cover and rise for 15-20 minutes or until almost doubled.
• Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, the sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
• Bake at 375 for 13 to 16 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Serve warm.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe making 15 rolls, with 1 serving being 1 roll. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 168mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1.7mg

Author Julie Clark

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Calories 252

Keyword easter breakfast, easter dinner, easter rolls, empty tomb

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