This recipe will guarantee that whoever you share these with will think you are a professional baker. Or they will think you snuck off to Cinnabon and bought these and just claimed them as your own. They're light and fluffy with an amazing chewy texture thanks to the bread flour. The filling is made up of the classic combination of cinnamon and sugar but feel free to put your twist on it by adding chocolate chips, raisins, shredded coconut, any dried fruits or even zest of your favorite citrus. This bun dough recipe is really a versatile one, so make it your own with the filling you choose. Who's to say what you can or cant fill your buns with? No one can stop you, you're the boss of your own buns! Remember: the chef is always right.
For the dough:
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed, room temperature
One packet active-dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
For the filling:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the glaze:
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine flour, sugar, salt and nutmeg. Mix till combined. Add in cubed room temperature butter a few pieces at a time. Mix on low speed till mixture resembles a sandy texture.
2. In a heatproof bowl, warm milk to 100-110 degrees. Add in yeast, stir to combine. Let milk/yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until foamy. If you don't have a thermometer, this mixture should just be warm to the touch, not burning hot. If its too hot, it will kill the yeast.
3. Whisk eggs in a small bowl. Add yeast/milk mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the stand mixer bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed till combined and dough has formed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for about 5 minutes till a soft ball forms. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Allow dough to proof and double in size, about 45 minutes to an hour. You can also place the dough in the fridge to rise overnight at this point. If you do so, let dough sit on the counter for about 10 to 15 minutes to come to room temperature before rolling out.
5. Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk so no clumps remain. Set aside.
6. After dough has doubled in size, roll out on a lightly floured surface to a roughly 12x16 inch rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter all over, leaving a small 1/4 inch border at the bottom of the rectangle so your able to seal the dough. Reserve about 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to brush the tops of the buns with.
7. Sprinkle dough with entire cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving the bottom 1/4 inch uncovered. Using a small brush or your finger, brush the bottom 1/4 inch of dough with small amount of water to help seal. Starting at the top horizontal piece of the rectangle and working towards the edge that you previously brushed with water, roll dough into a tight roll. Place dough seam side down on the counter after rolling. If the roll is not sealed completely by the water, simply pinch together the seam.
8. Cut dough into 10 pieces using a sharp serrated knife or a piece of unflavored dental floss. Place buns in two lightly greased 10 inch cake pans, or two pans of a similar size. Brush tops of the buns with remaining 2 tablespoon of melted butter that you have previously reserved from the filling. You can even use a rimmed baking sheet for this to fit all 10 buns at once. You want the buns to have about 1 inch of space around them to allow them to proof and grow in the oven.
9. Cover buns with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot till slightly proofed, about 30 minutes. Once proofed, bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown and cooked thru.
10. While the buns are in the oven, prepare your glaze. Mix together room temperature cream cheese, confectioners sugar, milk, and vanilla till smooth. Adjust the glaze to your desired thickness with more or less milk. Set aside.
11. When buns are done, remove from the oven and cool on a wire baking rack. Once cooled for about 5 minutes, add glaze and spread evenly across the buns. Enjoy while warm!