Cinnamon Buns
Terminology
First of all, is it a cinnamon roll or a cinnamon bun?
To be honest, I’m leaning toward calling these tasty baked treats ‘cinnamon buns’. But there are moments when I wonder if there is a distinction or if they are simply two synonymous terms. Allow me to conduct my inquiry.
Ok… so, apparently, the presence of frosting distinguishes one from the other.
A cinnamon roll must be iced with vanilla or cream cheese frosting, but a sticky bun marinates in its own brown sugar glaze. So either cinnamon rolls or sticky buns are on the menu. But what about cinnamon buns? … It’s not a very frequent word.
Sorry guys but I think I’ll keep calling them like that but at least, I now know that I am wrong 😂
About the recipe
Autumn has arrived.
It has, at the very least, arrived in The Hague. It’s rainy, chilly, and windy. The type of weather that makes us want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea or coffee and a blanket.
Cinnamon buns are therefore the ideal recipe for this time of the year. They are cozy and tasty because of the cinnamon.
They are not difficult to prepare, but they do take some time because the dough must rise for more than two hours to be airy.
Every time I make these, I’m reminded of the Glass Animals’ song ‘Gooey’, which describes a ‘peanut butter vibe’, and I find that this is exactly the mood of these buns.
Furthermore, they are completely in keeping with the Hygge mood (the art of creating intimacy according to the Danes) that I like to cultivate in fall.
I didn’t include cream cheese in my icing because I don’t like it and believe it’s too heavy.
And I also didn’t put any icing on those ones since my flatmates and I ate them immediately out of the oven.
Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cup Flour
- 1/4 cup Melted butter
- 3/4 cup Warm milk
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 2 + 1/4 tsp Active yeast
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 3/4 tsp Salt
Filling
- 1/4 cup Softened butter
- 1 + 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 2/3 cup Brown sugar
Icing
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- 1 tbsp Melted butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- Warm milk in the microwave for 40-45 seconds. Pour warm milk into a dish and sprinkle with yeast. Add the sugar, egg, egg yolk, and melted butter in the mixing bowl. Whisk until everything is properly mixed.
- Stir in the flour and salt until a dough forms.
- Knead the dough on a well-floured surface for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough ball with a clean cloth and place it in a well-oiled bowl. Allow the dough to rise for 1 to 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough.
- Roll the dough up tightly.
- Using a knife, cut into pieces. You should be able to collect 9 big pieces.
- Place the cinnamon buns in a baking pan that has been buttered. Cover with a warm cloth and allow to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Remove the cloth and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are just slightly golden brown. Allow 5-10 minutes for them to cool before icing.
- In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and milk until blended.
- Spread on top of warm rolls.