J & M Cinnamon Buns

My daughter Jacki & I collaborated on this recipe & I think we came up with the MOST delicious cinnamon bun recipe ever!!

While Jacki has been working from home in Los Angeles we have found the time to be in the kitchen together on several occasions. Thankfully with Facetime and Zoom the miles apart don’t seem to matter quite so much!

I used to make cinnamon buns when Jacki and her brothers were living at home. The dough recipe I used is a great white bread one that I got while I lived in Yellowknife… (that is a whole other story!) We decided to re-visit that recipe but it wasn’t exactly the right consistency for us… So, we created our own dough recipe & using lots of butter, brown sugar & cinnamon … these buns are really outstanding!

I have to say that trying to create our perfect Cinnamon Bun Recipe was not a hardship at all! After several delicious tries… we decided on just the right one & are now ready to share it with you!

I have really enjoyed spending time working with Jacki on this recipe!

The total time this cinnamon bun recipe takes is about 4 hours… though not all of that time is active time. You mix up the dough in your food processor, mixer or by hand if you choose… then let the dough rise for 2 hours or until double in size… shape the buns… then let that rise for about another hour then baking time is around 30 min… then you have to let them cool before eating!

Makes 14 cinnamon buns

INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH

To bloom the yeast:

1/2 cup warm water (105f -115f)

1 tsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp yeast (which is one pkg)

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3 cups flour

4 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup warm water

a bit of oil to grease the bowl your dough will rise in

FOR THE FILLING

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

2/3 cup butter, soft

METHOD: you will need a 9 x 13 baking dish… if you do not have one you could use muffins tins…

Prepare the dough – these instructions are for a food processor but you can use a mixer with a dough hook

1. Bloom the yeast… Put the 1/2 cup of water into a 1 cup measure or bowl about that size, add the sugar & give it a stir until it dissolves. Then sprinkle the yeast over top of the water and let it stand for 8-10 minutes, or as instructions on the package… until the yeast is foamy… give it a stir
2. Meanwhile… put the 3 cups flour, 4 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon & salt into the bowl of your food processor. Give it a whirl to mix
3. When the yeast has bloomed, add it to the flour
4. Put the lid on and with the machine running, add the eggs one at a time through the feed tube… keep the machine running
5. Add the oil & vanilla through the feed tube & now the water.
6. Mix until the dough gathers into a ball around the blade & continue mixing for for about 30 seconds *** if the machine stops working or slows down you can put in a bit of extra flour through the feed tube
7. When the dough is finished turn it out onto a lightly floured surface
8. Knead the dough for a minute or two to bring it together & form into a ball. Let it sit for a minute while you get a bowl ready
9. Lightly grease the entire surface of a large bowl. Put the dough into the bowl and move around to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap… I use a silicone bowl cover… place in a warm spot… I use the proofing function in my oven… & let the dough rise until double in size. Approx. 2 hours

While the dough is rising.. take out the 2/3 cup butter from the fridge .. the butter has to be soft enough to spread… (if you forget to take it out you can gently soften it in the microwave or grate the butter into a bowl before using)

Also prepare the filling & prep the baking dish

1. Mix the brown sugar & cinnamon together & set aside

When the butter is soft, spread 1/3 cup of butter all over the bottom of the baking dish & up the sides. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the brown sugar mixture evenly over the bottom & sides of the pan If you are using muffin tins… butter each tin really well and sprinkle with some of the sugar mixture.

When the dough is ready take the cover off & punch it down to release the air. Put the dough onto a clean lightly floured surface

• Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 15 inch wide & 13 inches tall

Putting the cinnamon buns together

1. Take the remaining 1/3 cup of soft butter & spread it evenly all over the rolled dough
2. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of brown sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over the buttered dough
3. Now, roll up the dough from the long side, it doesn’t need to be too tight. Even out the ends as you roll it up
4. Cut the rolled dough into 1 1/2 inch pieces & but cut side down into the prepared baking dish leaving space between the rolls so that they have room to expand
5. Cover the dish with a clean dish towel & let rise for about an hour in a warm spot

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375f

When the dough has risen, remove the towel & place in the preheated oven. Bake for approx 30 minutes until brown & cooked through

Remove from the oven & let rest for 5 – 10 minutes but not longer… you want the sugar at the bottom of the pan to still be warm to coat the top of the buns when you flip them over.

Turn the cinnamon buns upside down onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tray… something big enough …

Let cool before eating… if you can wait!