Cinnamon Buns

I don’t know about you but for me, cinnamon buns are the holy grail of baked good. To say that I love cinnamon buns is an understatement.

Uncharacteristically, I am not exacting when it comes to cinnamon buns. I recognise that these little wonders come in different shape(ish) and form. They can go from soft and squishy, oozing with sticky caramel to a plainer, knotted form only sprinkled with a little sugar. When well made, I crave all of these.

The version below come from Cleobuttera, a blog a stumbled upon while looking for a cinnamon bun with a dough that leverages the Tangzhong technique. I wanted to this because, when used in bread, the Tangzhong technic game me the fluffiest and softest bread I had ever made. So wouldn’t it do the same to cinnamon buns?

This is exactly what this recipe delivers and I am thankful for it

Adapted From Cleobuttura

Makes 12 buns

For the tangzhong (flour paste):

70g water

70g whole milk

30g flour

For the dough:

all of the tangzhong (above)

85g unsalted butter, melted

170g whole milk, room temperature

2 large eggs

500g flour

20g powdered milk (optional but it does make it better)

1 Tbps instant yeast (make sure it is in date)

50g granulated sugar

2 tsp salt

For the filling:

115g unsalted butter, softened

250g soft light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon fine salt

FOR THE FROSTING:

60g unsalted butter, softened

60g cream cheese, softened

115g icing sugar

1 Tbsp milk

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

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Make the tangzhong:

1. Combine the tangzhong ingredients; the water, milk and flour in a medium saucepan, and whisk together until no lumps remain.

2. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a smooth, pudding-like consistency; 2 to 3 minutes.

3. Remove saucepan from heat.

To make the dough:

1. In the saucepan with the tangzhong, whisk in the melted butter and milk until very smooth.

2. Add in the eggs and whisk until fully incorporated. The liquid ingredients will cool off the hot tangzhong and the mixture should now feel lukewarm.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk together the flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt and yeast to combine. Add in the tangzhong/milk mixture.

4. Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook and mix on low speed until a smooth, elastic and slightly sticky dough forms; about 10 minutes. The dough will be very sticky when mixing begins, but resist the urge to add more flour; the dough will absorb the excess moisture and come together nicely as the mixing progresses. After the 10 minutes of kneading, the dough should feel slightly sticky but not messy.

5. Using lightly oiled hands, shape the dough into a ball, and transfer to a lightly greased large bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. You could let it rise at room temp for an hour instead but the cold dough is a lot easier to work with so I would go for the fridge everytime. While the dough rises, prepare the filling.

The filling:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt until well combined. Set aside.

Assemble the cinnamon buns:

1. Grease a 13” x 9” baking pan

2. Gently deflate the risen dough, then turn out onto a very lightly floured surface. Stretch and roll out the dough to form a roughly 16” x 18” rectangle with long edge nearest you. Don’t rush the process but keep in mind that if the dough gets too warm it will get sticky again. You can alway place the dough back in the fridge if that happens.

3. Evenly spread the soft butter all over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar filling over the butter, leaving 1-inch border along top edge; smooth the filling into an even layer with your hand, or roll over gently with a rolling pin, to help it adhere to the dough.

4. Starting with long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder. Pinch the seam to seal the dough shut and roll cylinder seam side down. Mark gently with a knife to create 12 equal portions (about 2” each). For the cleanest cut, slice by holding a strand of dental floss underneath the cylinder, and cross ends of the floss over each other and pull. [I should note here that I used to think a knife would be perfectly adequate here. It is, but the dental floss really does a superior job]. Transfer each piece to the prepared baking pan.

5. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls to rise until the buns are puffy and touching one another; 40 to 50 minutes . In the last 15 minutes of rising, adjust oven rack to medium position and preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting.

The frosting:

1. Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and cream cheese until very smooth and creamy.

2. With the mixer running, gradually add in the icing sugar. Continue beating, until the sugar is fully incorporated and the mixture is light and fluffy; about 2 more minutes.

3. Add in the milk, lemon juice, vanilla and salt, and beat until well combined. Cover until needed.

Bake and finish the buns:

1. Remove the plastic wrap from over the risen buns and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, tenting with aluminum foil halfway through baking to avoid over browning.

2. The buns are done when the centre of the dough registers around 190F, or when a toothpick inserted in the centre of the bun, goes in and out smoothly, coming out clean.

3. Remove the buns from the oven, let cool in the pan for a few minutes and spread the tops with the frosting; it'll partially melt into the rolls. Serve warm.

4. Store completely cooled rolls in an airtight container for a couple of days at room temperature [do not put them in the fridge, please!]