Ever since I got the issue of Cook’s Country magazine with the cinnamon buns on the cover I have been wanting to give the recipe a try. Granted, it’s not something we eat very often, but they just looked so delicious and the recipe seemed so simple that I just had to give it a try. I had always thought that making them would take a long time and I think a lot of people just find it easier to get the prepackaged rolls with the little glaze packet and make those instead. I can tell you that the time it takes to make these is relatively quick, well worth the effort and cheaper than it costs for a package of those rolls.
Quick Cinnamon Buns
Filling:
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dough:
1 1/4 cups milk, room temperature
4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Glaze:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioners’ sugar. sifted
For the filling: Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the mixture resembles wet sand; set aside.
For the dough: Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper. pour 1/4 cup of milk in a small bowl and microwave it to 110 degrees, about 15 to 20 seconds. Stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar and the mixture sit until it is bubbly, about 5 minutes.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and the remaining 5 teaspoons of granulated sugar together in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 1 cup of milk until the dough forms. The dough will be sticky. Transfer the dough to a well-floured counter and knead it until a smooth ball forms, about 2 minutes.
Roll the dough into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle with the long side parallel to the counter edge. Brush the dough all over with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the far edge. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the filling, then press the filling firmly into the dough. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, loosen the dough from the counter. Roll the dough away from you into a tight log and pinch the seam to seal it.
Roll the log seam side down and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Stand the buns on their ends and gently re-form the ends that were pinched during the cutting. Place 1 bun in the center of the prepared pan and the others around the perimeter of the pan, seam sides facing in. Brush the tops of the buns with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30 minutes. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Discard the plastic wrap and bake the buns until the edges are well browned, about 23 to 25 minutes. Loosen the buns from the sides of the pan with a paring knife and let cool for 5 minutes. Invert a large plate over the cake pan. Using potholders, flip the plate and the pan upside down; remove the pan and the parchment paper. Re-invert the buns onto a wire rack and set the wire rack inside a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and let them cool for 5 minutes.
For the glaze: Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and whisk in the butter, milk, vanilla and salt until it is smooth. Whisk in the sugar until smooth. Pour the glaze evenly over the tops of the buns, spreading the glaze with a spatula to cover the buns.
While the total time of the recipe is about 1 1/2 hours, this is a lot quicker than other traditional cinnamon bun recipes that can take up to 3 hours to complete. I think you get the same great results from this recipe and the buns were very tender and tasted great. They smelled awesome the whole time they were cooking and everyone couldn’t wait for them to come out of the oven. Of course, the three of us split a warm one with glaze on it right away and it was wonderful. I would make this again for a dessert or even as a great brunch item when you may have a brunch party.
That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. I still have a bunch of new ones to try and I am always finding some new and fun things to do. I may even do a few Halloween themed recipes this week that might be fun. Until next time, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!
