Cinnamon buns

There is something so deliciously sinful about cinnamon buns--oozing with fondant glaze and cinnamon sugar. I remember that you could smell the cinnamon buns at Cinnabon from halfway across the mall (I swear they pumped that smell through the air system), and it was always a dangerous occasion, passing by one of the stores--a brutal test of one's self-control. Cinnamon buns are a favourite of David's, which he has typically accomplished with Pillsbury's instant cinnamon buns. I thought it was high time we did one better than that.

Recipe

from The Bread Baker's ApprenticeMakes 8 to 12 large buns 6-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar1 tsp salt5-1/2 tbsp shortening, unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature1 large egg, slightly beaten1 tsp lemon extract or grated zest3-1/2 cups unbleached bread or all-purpose flour2 tsp instant yeast1-1/8 to 1-1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6-1/2 tbsp granulated sugar plus 1-1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon)Cream together sugar, salt and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip in the egg and lemon extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes, or until dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large boil and transfer dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 2/3" thick, 14" wide and 12" long. Don't roll out the dough too thin, or the finish buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and 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 8 to 12 even pieces each about 1-3/4" thick.Set rolls on a baking sheet, about 1/2" apart, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350 F with the oven rack on the middle shelf. Bake cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove buns from pan and place them on a cooling rack. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.White Fondant Glaze4 cups powdered sugar1 tsp lemon or orange extract6 to 8 tbsp warm milkSift powdered sugar into a bowl. Add extract and milk, briskly whisking until all the sugar is dissolved. Add the milk slowly and only as much as is needed to make a thick, smooth paste.

Musings

A few notes on preparation: We didn't have enough powdered sugar, so I made a half-recipe (which actually turned out to be just the right amount). We also didn't have lemon extract so we substituted vanilla extract in the glaze. We added a splash of lemon juice to the dough in place of the lemon extract. I also mis-read the order of ingredients in one case, adding in the flour, yeast and milk before the egg and lemon extract.I was a little worried when the dough didn't seem to be doubling in size (it raised some), but I suspect that may have come from my adding the ingredients in the wrong order. However, when I proofed the buns, they did grow in size, which was encouraging. And when baking, they swelled up nicely and looked like delicious, plump buns. And in fact they were delicious, sweet, plump little buns! Dangerously good (given their less than healthy nature). Great cinnamon flavour...the dough had a nice body and was a touchy crumbly (in that it wasn't super chewy). The cinnamon sugar wasn't super gooey on the inside; however, in warming up a couple buns the next morning breakfast, I noticed that their cinnamon sugar insides had goo-ified nicely. In fact, I thought they tasted even better the next day. It would be nice to see what the lemon extract/zest in the dough would add to it (as we couldn't taste the lemon juice). Guess we'll just have to make another batch! Darn!