I’m definitely not the right person to give anyone advice on baking with any sort of dough or anything that has to be left to prove! I’m okay with cookie dough but that’s about the extent of my dough baking skills. However I’ve always wanted to try cinnamon buns, after a lot of research and lots of different methods this one seemed doable. I’ll be the first to admit that I continually check to see if it’s doubled in size, which I think it did!! If anything they were bigger than I expected and utterly delicious. The actual recipe is very simple to follow just remember to allow the two proving times, hands on is very minimal it’s just mixing up and kneading. I rather enjoy kneading the dough, you’ll definitely need a plastic scraper because it’s quite a wet dough to start. Also make sure your butter is soft enough for the cinnamon spread. Other than that just follow the recipe as it is. The recipe is a BBC Good Food recipe that I had bookmarked from awhile ago.

So many people messaged me on instagram after I posted these delicious buns and lots said the same, they had always wanted to make them but thought they would be too difficult! Give them ago you’ll be surprised how simple they are! I haven’t taken photos of all the stages because most of the time my hands were messy, so if you’re not clear on anything let me know!

Will I make them again-absolutely!

You will need: A baking tray and 12 cupcake cases. Proving time is about 2hours in total. They take just 12 minutes in the oven.

Ingredients:

For The Bun Dough

• 100g unsalted butter
• 200ml milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 250g plain or wholemeal plain flour ( I used plain ) extra for dusting
• 250g strong white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp fast-action yeast
• 1 tsp ground cardamom ( optional ) I used it
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• Olive oil for greasing

For The Filling and Topping

• 75g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon 
• 1 free-range egg, beaten

Method:

In a small saucepan heat the butter, milk and salt until he butter has melted. Allow the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm. 

In a large bowl, stir together the flours, yeast, cardamom and sugar until combined. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Pour in the lukewarm milk mixture and stir everything together to form a sticky dough. You may need to use your hands as the dough becomes stiffer.

Oil the work surface with a teaspoon of olive oil. Turn the dough out onto the oiled surface and knead vigorously for 5-8 minutes, using a scraper as needed to prise the dough off the surface. DON’T add flour to the surface it will make the buns dry and tough. Keep kneading until the dough is less sticky, smoother and more elastic. Shape into a ball, and put it into a large greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place to prove for an hour, or until doubled in size. I sat mine next to my Aga.

Meanwhile, for the filling and topping, mix the softened butter with HALF the sugar and 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon. Use a fork to mix the spice mix until it is completely combined. Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together in a separate bowl and set aside.

When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured work surface and gently roll it into a 36x24cm rectangle. Spread the cinnamon-sugar-butter evenly over the dough with a table or palette knife.

With the longest edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a cylinder. Cut into 12 even slices.

Place each slice onto a flattened out paper cupcake case on a baking tray. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to prove again for 30-45 minutes or until risen.

Pre-heat the oven to 220c/180 fan/ gas 6

Brush the tops of the buns with a beaten egg and dust liberally with cinnamon sugar. Go for it put lots on!

Bake for 12 minutes until the buns are golden-brown. 

Put the kettle on and enjoy them warm with a cuppa!

Deb

xx