Cinnamon Buns

     

I love Cinnamon Buns! They are soft, sweet and gooey and make me think of Sunday mornings when I was a kid. My favorite recipe is from King Arthur. Here's the link: here.

Now Cinnamon Buns from scratch aren't that hard. They just take a little patience. An enriched sugary buttery dough needs time to rise. It's a little sluggish at first. So let's start...

Combine all the dough ingredients and mix to make a loose dough. Then switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth and all the chunks of butter are incorporated. When finished it should stick to the bottom a little and be a lovely smooth dough. You should be able to pull it out in one piece and form it into a ball. Poke it gently and it will bounce back. 

Put in a lightly greased bowl and cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap or a fresh new shower cap. Let this rise until it's good and puffy. Doubled in bulk, as they say. Be patient. The recipe says 60 minutes but it will sometimes take much longer. Maybe 2hrs. It depends on the temperature of the room, the ingredients, and the bowl. Sometimes I will put the bowl near the warm oven to give it a push.

When it's risen, turn it out onto a surface you can work on. Deflate it. Then roll it and pull it gently out to 16"x 24". It doesn't need to be a perfect rectangle. Your going to roll this up so if the long edges aren't perfectly straight no one will know. Smear the butter all over, but leave a little space along the edges because the filling will spread out when you roll it.
spread the filling by dusting over the buttered area with a spoon. Cover evenly as you can. Also no need for OCD here. You are rolling it up.

Rooooollll the whole piece starting along the longer side. The only thing you need to know about this part is to make sure to roll snuggly. Don't roll too loosely or your filling will fall out when you cut it into pieces. Pinch the seam when you get to the top. This will also ensure things don't fall apart. Leave the ends open.

Grease a 9"x13" pan. I line with tinfoil and leave some extra on the ends so it is easier to take the whole thing out to transfer the rolls to a rack after baking.

Cut the roll in half, then cut each half in half. Cut these pieces into thirds. You will have 12 total. Place them in the pan roll side up. Cover with your greased piece of plastic wrap. Let rise until they are puffy and just touching. Which the recipe says will be about a half hour. This will take longer. Give them the time they need. Preheat the oven to 400.

When the buns are ready, put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes. These are dense so you're looking for browning along the edges. While they are cooking, prepare your favorite icing or the icing included in the recipe. While they cook they will puff up and fill the pan. When you take them out of the oven, you can use the tinfoil to move the whole pan of buns to a cooling rack easily. Let cool completely if you're not going to eat them immediately so you can wrap them up for later.

If you want to enjoy them warm, let them sit for a few minutes (you want the icing to soften from the warms of the bun, but not melt down off the buns completely) ice and enjoy!