Tuesday, June 29, 2010

"Cinnabunzzies"

My brother doesn't tend to make many requests for desserts, even through this whole baking every day project, so when he exclaimed- literally exclaimed (!) that he knew what he'd like me to make for him, I just couldn't let him down.
And what he wanted, were Cinnamon Buns! Little did I know, they're actually somewhat challenging! Mostly because they use yeast and require a rising for about 2 hours and a proofing for 76-90 minutes after shaping them.
Sadly I don't have a lot of time to explain these at length, but thanks to Brown Eyed Baker, these were super simple and straightforward. They had just enough sugar within the pastry to be sweet but not heart-stopping, and the little bit of vanilla glaze dribbled on top made them a great dessert to be enjoyed after a really long day. :)

Cinnamon Buns
(From BrownEyedBaker and originally Peter Reinhart's The Bread Apprentice)
Yields 6 medium cinnamon buns

Ingredients:
  • 3 1/4 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 3/4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 large egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 5/8 cup buttermilk
  • Cinnamon Sugar: 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
  1. Cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium-speed. Whip in the egg and lemon zest until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms into a ball. Knead dough for about 12-15 minutes, or until silky and supple, tacky not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water to this mixture to get the desired texture. 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.
  2. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
  3. Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter.
  4. Shaping the buns: (A) Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 9 inches wide by 4-5 inches long. Don't roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. (B) Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and (C) roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into about 6 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick.
  5. Line a sheet pan with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren't touching but are close to one another.
  6. Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have doubled in size.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack in the middle shelf.
  8. Bake the buns for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the buns for about 10 minutes and then drizzle with white fondant glaze*.
*White fondant glaze: Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 3 tablespoons of warm milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar has dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as needed to make a thick, smooth paste.

Happy Baking!
Jessica

2 comments:

  1. I still have an odd fear of yeast, but these look so good that I may have to overcome that obstacle. :)

    ReplyDelete