Cinnabon Cinnamon Buns
Making Sunday morning dreams come true.
I’ve got a thing with cinnamon buns. When I was a kid we'd have breakfast in a coffee shop called The Bagel Zone right across from my elementary school. They had a counter full of industrial, baked-from-frozen pastries, and each one was utterly delicious. The gooiest of them all? Their cinnamon bun, with no icing, just a hand-sized swirl of eggy, yellow dough stuffed with cinnamon paste. We always went for the underbaked ones, which were inevitably softer, and I ate them starting from the middle and working my way out. The perfect cinnamon bun? Very much so.
I’ve since struggled to find a satisfying equivalent. Most cinnamon buns - even in some of the very best bakeries in London and New York! - seem to me tragically overbaked - dark, too crusty, and dry. While butter-laden bakes like croissants are at their prime when erring on the toastier side - those milk proteins in the butter caramelising throughout - a brioche-based dough with a lower butter-to-flour ratio can easily harden.
I turned to the classic Cinnabon to replicate that texture and gooeyness. The trick? Underbake those buns! They’ll continue to cook once you take them out of the oven anyway, so it's best to bake them slightly under rather than over. I’ve taken the sweetness down so they aren’t quite as cloying as a Cinnabon, and more suitable for breakfast.
Cinnabon-inspired Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients:
580g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
95g caster sugar
8g fine sea salt
235g full-fat milk
12g fresh yeast, 7g dried
2 eggs
1 yolk
85g unsalted butter, softened
200 light brown sugar
90g butter
10g cinnamon (about 2 tablespoons)
50g icing sugar
200g cream cheese
65g very soft butter
Instructions:
NIGHT BEFORE: in a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar and salt, and whisk together.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, yeast and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and bring together with a spatula or dough scraper to form a rough, sticky dough.
Turn it out onto a work surface and knead for about 5 mins until you can feel the dough has become a little more elastic. Use a dough scraper or spatula throughout the kneading process to bring the dough back together. (Or, mix in a stand mixer on medium for 3 mins).
Add the butter into your dough a third at a time. Place the cubes of butter over the surface of the dough, then knead it in, ensuring it is fully incorporated before adding the next quantity. (Or, add directly into the bowl of your stand mixer and mix until incorporated).
Continue kneading for 5-10 mins. You will know the dough is ready when it stops sticking to your hand and the work surface.
With the dough now smooth, elastic and glossy, place it in a clean, oiled mixing bowl, cover with a shower cap or plastic bag, and let ferment for 1.5 hours at room temperature.
Butter a square 23x23cm (9x9in) baking tin.
Take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly flour the surface of your work bench and start to roll out your dough into a rectangle 30x40cm. If it sticks in any spot, add a bit more flour underneath. Try to keep it the shape even as possible, and maintain even thickness - this will ensure your buns are the same size.
Take your very soft butter and spread it over the entire surface in an even layer using an offset spatula or spoon.
Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Sprinkle evenly over the butter, packing the sugar down as you go.
Roll the dough up lengthwise, so you end up with a long log. Roll it up tightly, starting from the middle of the dough and working your way outward toward the edges.
Cut the log into 12 even pieces using the dental floss, cutting it into thirds, then into thirds again to end up with 9 pieces.
Place your buns with the swirl facing upwards into 3 rows of 3, evenly spaced between each other. Cover with a large plastic bag and let ferment again at room temperature for 1 hour. Fridge overnight to slow the rate of fermentation down.
MORNING OF: Take the buns out so they come up to room temperature and to give those yeasts a chance to wake up, about 1-1.5 hours before you want to bake them.
Preheat your oven to 175C fan or 190C conventional oven.
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature, and beat with a whisk until blended and smooth. Add the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Keep in the fridge until use.
When your buns are proved, remove the plastic bag and bake for 15-17min until the middle bun registers 74C when probed in the middle. This slight “underbaking” is what will keep your buns gooey and soft, like the iconic Cinnabon. It will also make them reheat better. Cover with foil if the buns are darkening too quickly.
Let the buns rest for 5 minutes, then use the offset spatula to slather half of the frosting on top. 10 minutes later, top with the rest of the frosting.
Wait 10 more minutes to eat. These will keep for 4 days covered with cling film or foil, or one week in the fridge. Reheat gently in the oven at 150c for 5 minutes to have them warm.
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