Not letting your dough double in size

The key to making cinnamon rolls is to not rush the rising process. If your cinnamon rolls come out of the oven dry and dense, it's because you didn't adequately rest the dough before baking. Your dough should at least double in size during the first rise. If your dough does not double in size, you may have another problem with your baking method, such as inactive yeast. If you added too much flour and not enough hydration, your dough may be too hard.

Poking your dough is one way to see if it has proofed sufficiently. If the dough has been properly rested and is ready to be shaped, it should indent slightly. Dough that completely deflates or does not change shape is either under or over-proofed. You can still bake the dough if it has been over-proofed; however, the texture will be more stodgy and dense.