For Day 8 of the BBA Challenge, we made Cinnamon Rolls. These cinnamon rolls are so good, they melt in your mouth. I had a house full of teenagers just waiting for the rolls to cool. I had to fight them off to get photos. Not really, they were actually very patient because they knew the reward would be heavenly... and it was.
Peter Reinhart said he developed this formula because his students kept asking him to teach them to make cinnamon buns as good as the ones you get at the mall. The dough falls in the enriched category because the fat content is slightly under 20 percent. However, this dough definitely does not need any extra fat. The shortening, eggs, sugar, and milk, provide plenty of enrichments to tenderize the dough without the additional fat. Who needs it anyway?
This version tastes better than any cinnamon buns I've ever had. My taste testers agreed. In fact, the dough tasted so good it almost didn't make it to the oven (because I kept eating it - not my sons).
You can also make sticky buns with this formula or thumbprint sweet rolls, filled with jam or jelly or pastry logs. They all sound great! I'll have to try one of these next time.
Cinnamon Buns (or Sticky Buns)
Makes: 8 to 12 large or 12 to 16 smaller cinnamon or sticky buns or other sweet rolls.
Ingredients:
- 6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 1/2 tablespoons shortening or unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
- 1 large egg, slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract or grated zest of one lemon
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
- or 3 tablespoons powdered milk (DMS) and 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon)
- Powdered Sugar Glaze
Directions:
Making the dough:
Make sure you have all of your ingredients together: sugar, salt, butter, egg, lemon zest, unbleached bread flour, yeast, buttermilk and cinnamon sugar.
Cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
Whip in the egg and lemon zest until smooth.
Add the flour, yeast, and milk and mix until the dough forms a ball.
Switch to the dough hook and mix for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is silky and supple. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. Add a little flour or water if necessary to achieve this texture.
First Rise:
Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Let the dough ferment at room temperature for about 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Shaping the cinnamon buns
Make the cinnamon sugar using 6 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.
Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter.
Shape the buns as shown below:
Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin.
Roll the dough into a rectangle.
Don't roll out the dough too thin or the finished will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the entire surface.
Roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll.
With seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 even pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns; or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.
Second Rise:
Line one or more baking sheets with baking parchment. Place the buns about 1/2 inch apart so that they aren't touching but are close to one another.
Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and nearly doubled in size. Or, you can retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Just take the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.
Baking the cinnamon buns
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Cooling and glazing the cinnamon buns
Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak them with white fondant glaze across the tops while the buns are warm but not too hot.
Powdered Sugar Glaze:
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract
- 6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk.
Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange extract and 6 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until all of the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste.
Drizzle the powdered-sugar glaze over the tops of the cinnamon rolls by dipping the tines of a fork or whisk into the glaze and waving the fork over the tops.
Remove the buns from the pan and place them on a cooling rack. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.
We tried to wait 20 minutes, but it didn't work. These cinnamon buns didn't even make it to the cooling rack. They were gobbled up right away.
The cinnamon buns taste wonderful! Would you like one?
Thanks for joining me this week in the Bread Baking Blog.
Happy Baking!
Cathy
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