I don’t really have a fixed recipe, it’s just reflex. Hopefully it’s workable!

Afterthoughts, before hand.

Hmm. I never really realized how much butter is in these things. Well, I think their ain’t no such thing as a healthy cinnamon bun. After all that sugar and flour, we’re just looking healthy in the rear-view mirror.

Step 1: The Dough

  • 1.75 cups water
  • 4 cups flour (optional: +add 1/4 cup wheat gluten )
  • 3 tblspn butter
  • 1/4 cup powdered milk
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp yeast

I mix mine with the dough setting on the breadmaker, and let it rise there. After it’s all mixed, put it in a glass bowl in the fridge overnight.

(if you’re hand mixing it, proof the yeast first!)

This makes enough dough for about 16 or so buns.

Step 2: Before you sleep

  • 2 sticks of soft butter

You have to layer in butter into the dough to make it flaky.

Take a couple sheets of parchment paper, put a stick of butter between them and roll it out flat.
Try to get it square, and very thin. Maybe 12-14” square

Do that again with the second butter.

Stick both of those flat butter in the freezer.

Step 3: Roll out the dough

Take the dough out, cut it in half, roll it out on a floured surface.

Roll it out to about twice the width of your flattend butter. (so around 14” x 28” )

Place the frozen flattened butter in the middle, and then fold over the dough from the edges (so about 1/2 the width from the left and right)

(so now it’s about 14” inches square)

Then fold it over in half each way (so now it should be about 7” ish square)

Roll that out flat back to about 12” x 24”

Step 4: Fill them up!

With about 1/4 cup of softened butter, cover the whole rolled out dough.

The cover it with brown sugar and cinnamon

I dunno how much brown sugar I use… maybe around a cup? Really, you can’t have too much, but you sure can have too little!

Once you’ve covered it in butter + brown sugar + cinnamon then roll them up as tight as you can.

Cut the roll into 8 pieces.

I cook mine in a 8” glass baking dish, 4 in a dish, placed into the corners. I’d rather use more dishes and have them have a bit of crust.

My mother squeezes all 8 in an 8” glass baking dish – Which I guess you can do if you are some kind of inhuman savage and just like them all squished together.

Optional

If you like them very sweet and sticky, put a bunch of butter and brown sugar in the bottom baking dish before you put them in. You can thank me later.

(now go do step 3 & 4 again for the second half)

Step 5: Baking

Cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rise to double the size. This might take 2-3 hours – the cold butter we folded in slows it down.

After they have risen, bake them at 350F for 22-25ish minutes. We’re aiming for 165F-185F internal temperature. (NEVER BAKE BREADS BY COLOR!! SHAME!)

Step 6: Icing

While you’re waiting, grab the mixer, and blend together:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup cream cheese
  • 1 cup icing sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • optional: some lemon zest. (mmmmmm tasty!)

Scoop the icing on just before you eat!