Cinnamon Sticky Buns

  • Cinnamon Sticky Buns

    I just made one of my dreams come true.  (Well, technically a dozen dreams, since this recipe makes 12 puffy and sticky and wondiferous cinnamon buns.)

    Because I know you’re keenly interested, let’s have a discussion about The History of Cinnamon Buns in My Life, shall we?  I don’t remember where it started, so I’ll just dive into this riveting retrospective with Cinnabon.  (Yes, the purveyor of sinful mall indulgences across North America.  But really- did you know that the classic bun has 880 calories?  Holy shizit.  880 fantastic calories though.)  I almost missed a plane once because I was hellbent on stuffing myself with a bun before bolting to the gate to board.  I remember driving to an out of the way mall one morning (in 1998 maybe?) because the cinnamon siren was sounding off in my sweets-obsessed head.  You know how it goes- when you get that Cinnabon craving, even though 880 reasons exist to not drive 25 minutes one way to fill the void, 881 reasons exist to step on it and get one anyway.

    Continuing in the spirit of syntheticality (new word, work with me), I must mention Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns as the next stop on the flashback wagon.  I can’t count the number of cans I cracked open and “baked” back in the day… possibly more than 880.  (I say “baked” in quotes because you don’t really bake anything from Pillsbury- you just let the raw dough slither out onto a baking pan and into a preheated oven and then down your throat.  They make the dough so that chewing is optional, really.)  I stayed home on New Year’s in 1995 or 1996 and made myself a batch and I think I ate all 12 of them.  Pathetic, I know, but at least it was a guaranteed good time.

    Last stop on memory lane:  The Husband and I hosted a New Year’s party in our house soon after we were married; determined to be Suzy Homemaker of the Year for 2004, I woke up hungover but early (who does that?) to put the cinnamon buns I had meticulously proofed and rolled and stuffed and sliced the day before into the oven (without waking up the guests strewn about the furniture and floors).  Has it really been 10 years since I’ve made homemade cinnamon buns?  Apparently.  Ten years too long.  They are on my top 10 list of desserts of all time (I know, I know- I need to publish the list), so how did I let a decade go by without making them?  I have no excuses.

    These buns (the ones featured in the recipe below, not the Cinnabon or Pillsbury ones, folks) are the real deal.  They are doughy where you want them to be, lightly browned on top, and filled with cinnamon and toasted pecans.  The bottom is sticky beyond belief, and the top is made that much better with cream cheese frosting.  They take time and energy to make, but very much worth it.

    My only regret is that I didn’t douse the cinnamon buns pictured here in a disgusting amount of the cream cheese frosting.  Let’s be honest with one another- the image above does look a little paltry in the icing department, doesn’t it?  (Truth be told, I added way more after the photo was taken.  Cream cheese frosting needs to be eaten in gluttonous proportions.  A little drizzle is just a tease.  As I read on the Cinnabon website, “life needs frosting”.  Well said.)

    Adapted from food network’s recipe…

    DOUGH

    1 1/4 cups 2% milk, just above body temperature (105° F)

    2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) instant dry yeast

    1/4 cup sugar

    1 egg, room temperature

    1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

    3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    3/4 teaspoon salt

    GOOEY BOTTOM LAYER

    1/2 cup unsalted butter

    1 cup light brown sugar, packed

    1/2 cup maple syrup

    CINNAMON FILLING

    3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

    1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

    1 tablespoon cinnamon

    3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    FROSTING

    4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (half of 1 package)

    1 cup confectioners’ sugar

    1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1. Grease a 9×13″ pan and set aside.
    2. DOUGH:
      1. Blend dough ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment until evenly combined, then knead in the mixer for 3 minutes.  (If mixing by hand, stir ingredients together in a large bowl with a wooden spoon, then turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.)
      2. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, 90 minutes to 2 hours.
    3. GOOEY BOTTOM: 
      1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir butter, brown sugar and maple syrup together until melted and bubbling.  Pour into prepared pan and set aside.
    4. CINNAMON FILLING:
      1. In a small bowl, stir brown sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.
      2. In a separate small bowl, melt butter and have readily available .
    5. Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle about 18×12″.  
    6. Brush entire surface of dough with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon brown sugar mixture, then pecans. 
    7. Roll up dough from the longer side and then cut the roll into 12 pieces.  Place dough rolls into prepared pan, evenly spaced.  Cover with plastic wrap or tea towel and let rise for an hour.
    8. Preheat oven to 350°.  Uncover risen buns and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a rich golden brown.   Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes in the pan before inverting.  Serve as is (with sticky side on top) or invert again to have sticky side on bottom and frosting on top (as I do).
    9. CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
      1. In a mixing bowl, cream all frosting ingredients together until smooth.  Spread on cooled cinnamon buns or heat slightly to achieve a drizzling consistency and pour over buns.  Allow to set and serve.

    Tips:

    • Allow these to rise in a warm place.  Also, use fresh yeast.  (I have learned the hard way that this makes a difference- I use yeast so infrequently that I just buy a new package every time I make a yeasty dessert.)
    • You totally have choices to make about the filling.  I like toasted pecans sprinkled in the filling, but you can skip them if you’re not feeling it.  You can also add raisins if you’re that type of person.  (You could even add chocolate chips if you’re willing to go out on a cinnamon bun limb… why not?)
    • Toast the pecans by popping them on a baking sheet in a hot oven for 6 – 8 minutes.  They’ll start to smell fragrant and will impart so much more flavor.
    • Freshness matters… buns are best served the day they are baked.
    • No one ever said these were fast and easy to make.  But that’s part of what makes them so freaking good.  Blood, sweat, tears and cinnamon.  (Oh, and sugar and pecans and frosting.)
    • You can freeze these and thaw them in the fridge before serving… just heat up in the microwave for 12 seconds so they are warm and gooey instead of cold from the fridge.  (Fresh warm cinnamon buns are the best, as I’m sure you know, but these will do in a pinch for sure.)
    • Enjoy!

     

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    February 26th, 2014 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: , ,

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