Who loves Cinnamon Rolls?
I sure do!
While yeasty breads have long been produced, it wasn't until a perfect storm of sugar, carbs, and spice converged in the 17th Century that the cinnamon bun as we know it today was born. Egyptians and Romans recorded eating various types of sticky buns for centuries prior to the first cinnamon roll, with honey, raisins, and dates providing most of the sweet flavor and gooey texture. In Egypt, cinnamon was scarce and primarily used not for culinary purposes, but as an embalming tool for royalty. The Age of Exploration made cinnamon a more readily available spice throughout Europe, as the Dutch took over the island of Sri Lanka and became solely responsible for the exports of its cinnamon bounty. Bakers began to add cinnamon to their already-sugary fritters, creating an early version of the cinnamon roll—including the English Chelsea Bun—which quickly spread to bakeries across the continent as a breakfast treat. The cinnamon roll remains one of the least-changed cultural pieces brought by German and Swedish immigrants to America since their arrival in the 17th Century. German settlers around Philadelphia created their own spin on the baked good, adding brown sugar, honey, and raisins to their buns—a morning-time version of their famous Shoofly Pie.