Our Favourite Cinnamon Buns Recipes

OUR FAVORITE CINNAMON ROLLS

Steps:

• Make the dough:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add flour, yeast, and sugar. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add eggs and mix on low to combine. In a small pot, heat milk, butter, and cinnamon over medium-low heat until butter is melted and mixture is between 120 and 130°F (use a thermometer).
• Add warm milk mixture and salt to stand mixer. Beat on low speed 2 to 3 minutes, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl with a spatula. Beat on medium speed until smooth and elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Dough will be very sticky.
• Lightly oil a large bowl with cooking spray. Form dough into ball and transfer to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• While dough rises, cut 2 pieces of parchment to fit 2 9-inch round cake pans. Butter pans, line with parchment, and butter parchment.
• Make the filling:
• Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in medium bowl.
• Make the glaze:
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.
• Assemble and bake:
• Preheat to 375°F and position rack in center of oven. Punch down dough and transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 16-by-12-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border on the long sides. Sprinkle filling mixture evenly over butter, then add pecans. Starting at a long edge, roll dough toward you into a log, pinching gently to keep it rolled tightly. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with a thin sharp knife into 16 equal slices.
• Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up; rolls will be touching. Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Bake rolls until tops are golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up. Drizzle glaze over rolls and serve immediately.

CINNAMON BUNS

Steps:

• Buns: When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Prepare 2 (9 by 12-inch) rectangular baking dishes by spraying with nonstick oil spray.
• In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together starter, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, salt, water, yeast and flour.
• After mixing the dough for about 2 minutes, remove the dough to a bowl sprayed with nonstick oil.
• Cook's Note: If the dough mix is too loose, add more flour.
• Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size. The rising process will take 1 to 4 hours, depending on the altitude and weather at the time and place you are making the buns.
• When doubled, dump the whole pile of dough onto a well-floured surface and with a rolling pin manipulate the dough to make a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
• Filling: Melt 2 sticks of butter to where it is creamy and spreadable. Spread the butter onto the dough triangle making sure you spread thoroughly to all corners. Sprinkle brown sugar and then cinnamon over the butter making sure that the whole triangle is covered, corner to corner. Top with chopped pecans and raisins.
• Roll the dough into a tight roll. Cut with a serrated knife into 2-inch long rolls and place into the baking dishes.
• Cook's Note: If using the rectangle baking dish, snuggle the buns together as if they were trying to keep each other very warm. You might want to manipulate the size of the pan to make sure that the buns are very snug in the pan.
• You do not have to cover the rolls, but you need to let them rise in an oven set at 170 degrees F to proof until you see that they are almost but not quite doubled in size, about 40 to 50 minutes. When you see that they are at that point, turn the oven up to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 minutes until you see that they are truly golden on the top.
• Cook's Note: A good test is when you take them out of the oven and push on the very center of a bun; if it sinks inward easily and feels doughy, they will need 5 to 10 minutes more cooking time.
• Glaze/Icing: In a mixer beat powdered sugar and half-and-half until smooth and without lumps. Take the buns out of the oven and put them on a wire rack. Immediately glaze them with a pastry brush. After glazing all of the buns, go back over and glaze once again.
• Cook's Note: If you desire, you can melt more butter on the top before serving. If warming buns after they are cool, 20 seconds in the microwave revives that incredible hot-out-of-the-oven taste. However, even cold, they are awesome.
• A viewer, who may not be a professional cook, provided this recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results.