Save Your Bread Crusts For Easy Cinnamon Rolls In No Time

Cinnamon rolls are a decadent and cozy treat, but they are woefully time-consuming to prepare. They may be worth it, but brown butter cinnamon rolls take all day to make. Luckily, there's an easier way to get your cinnamon roll fix, and you only need a few ingredients. The main component is one you might have been throwing away, especially if you have a picky kid at home: bread crust.

The most basic version of this hack involves sugar, cinnamon, butter, toothpicks, and of course, bread. First, cut the crust off a slice of bread in one long strip. Then, roll the crust into a pinwheel shape and put a toothpick or skewer through it lengthwise to hold it together. In a hot frying pan, combine butter and a few sprinkles of cinnamon. Add some sugar and mix until it turns into a loose caramel sauce. Lay the pinwheels in the pan and cook on both sides until sugary and lightly toasted. Lastly, you can top the rolls with icing to make them look fancy, and enjoy warm. You can even make your own icing using a little vanilla, powdered sugar, and about a tablespoon of milk.

That's really all there is to it, so it's no wonder bread crust cinnamon rolls have become a popular trick on TikTok and Instagram. Those who have tried the recipe sing its praises, with one TikTok user commenting, "Crustless sandwiches for lunch and cinnamon rolls sides for dinner. Excellent." Considering some places throw away too much bread crust for their own good, this is one way to create less waste while satisfying your sweet tooth.

There are a few reasons other than food waste reduction why bread crust cinnamon rolls are so stupendous. For one thing, the method is incredibly quick. No matter how you tweak this recipe, it takes less than half an hour from start to finish. The ingredients are all things most folks have around the house, so they're easy to whip up whenever a craving strikes. Best of all, bread crusts are often unwanted by little ones, so you have reason to make these when meal prepping for young family members. Any bread will work, even if it's stale.

Not to mention, this recipe is highly customizable with fillings and toppings. There are many unique cinnamon roll fillings to try, including raisins, jelly, and more. You could even stuff your cinnamon rolls with apple pie filling, dip them in maple syrup or honey instead of icing, or top them with colorful sprinkles or nuts for an additional flavor pop.

If you want to change up this recipe even more, you can turn the bread crusts into shorter strips and oven-bake them with sweet seasonings until they're crisped for a crunchy cinnamon roll stick. If you don't want to dirty up a frying pan, roll up the bread crusts in muffin tins and bake them with the sugar and butter mixture at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, then serve them like mini muffins. Regardless of how you make them, these sweet treats make great use of simple, everyday bread crust.