Cinnamon Buns

Prep Time: 3h 00 min
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serving: 12 buns

By bakingbeash November 29, 2015

A slightly healthier version of a great American classic Cinnabons.

Ingredients

For Dough
strong white bread flour - 500g
yeast - enough for a 500g loaf
milk - 70ml
tap water at room temperature - 150ml
melted butter - 40g
beaten eggs - 2 medium
salt - 10g
sugar - 75g
For Filling
oil for greasing board
light brown sugar - 80g
dark brown sugar - 80g
softened butter - 50g
cinnamon - 1 to 2 tablespoons
For icing / frosting
icing sugar (puder Zucker) - 230g
softened butter - 30g
cream cheese (at room temperature) - 70g
vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon

Instructions

1. Check your instructions for the yeast. The type I am currently using requires you to activate the yeast for 15 minutes in water with a bit of sugar. Follow the instructions on your packet of yeast.

2. In a bowl measure out the other bun ingredients. When the yeast is ready add it to the other ingredients and mix. You may need to add a little bit less or a little bit more water to get a smooth dough. Knead for approx 7 minutes until you have a smooth dough.

3. Lightly oil a bowl and cover the dough and leave to rise until it has at least doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to Fan 220 degrees Centigrade

5. Roll the dough and prepare the buns using the method in the pictures below. Line the tin with some greaseproof paper.

6. Cook for 15 minutes. Leave the buns to cool in the tin, this lets some of the escaped sugar set on the bottom of the buns.

7. Whilst the buns are cooking prepare the icing. I use a blender to do this as it makes getting the lumps out of the icing sugar easier. Blend the icing sugar first and then add the other ingredients.

7. The buns can be eaten hot or cold. They are at their nicest straight from the oven.

8. Let your taster's top with the amount of icing they would like. I don't ice all of the buns straight away as we normally eat them in two sittings and they can be rewarmed in the oven.

Allergens

Egg, Milk, Wheat

These Cinnamon Buns were inspired by the original Cinnabons. This version is for a lower sugar and smaller bun, this makes it slightly less naughty but it is still a high calorie treat. The first time we became aware of cinnabons was during the film the Secret Life of Walter Mitty. If you haven’t seen the film its well worth watching, especially for the long board sequence. At one point Walter mets a friend and the friend is eating a Cinnabon. They looked so tasty we all said we must try one. Not living in America, the only way was to attempt to make them. I checked out a few online recipes and gave one of them a try. My first attempt tasted ok but was far to sweet for my taste.

In this version I use an enriched dough recipe. The dough recipe has been adapted from Paul Hollywood’s Hot Cross Bun Recipe. An enriched dough has eggs, milk and sugar which help make a lovely light texture. Compared to some of the other online recipes there is a lot less sugar in the dough. This means you have to wait a little bit longer for the dough to rise, but get a more traditional bun taste and texture. In my version I combine soft light and dark brown sugar with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon to create a great tasting treat.

This recipe is a now a firm family favourite. I always try and make it when we have visitors. Even with the lower sugar version this is still a naughty treat.

How to Roll The Cinnamon Buns

The trickiest thing about this recipe is how to roll the buns. I have tried several ways. The best way I have found is shown below. Rather than using flour to stop the dough sticking oil your rolling board with some vegetable oil, also put a little bit of oil on your rolling pin.Split the dough in half.