CINNABUN CINNAMON BUNS

For the dough:
1/4 Cup Water
1 cup whole milk + 1 Tbsp.
1 Stick Butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
4 & 1/2 cup Unbleached White Bread Flour
1 Tbsp. wheat gluten
1 envelope dry yeast

Cinnamon filling mixture:
1 cup light brown sugar
5 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 stick butter (softened)

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter (softened)
1 & 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Remove a large egg from the refrigerator and permit it to reach room temperature. Add the water and whole milk to a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave to slightly above room temperature. (About 110-120º)  Gently melt the butter and all of the liquid ingredients to a mixing bowl. Add the yeast and allow to sit for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Beat the egg and add to the bowl along with the vanilla and sugar.  Add the flour, wheat gluten, and salt and start the mixer.  Mix until dough forms.  About 5 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl until the dough rises about 1/2 to double its size.  About 4o minutes.

Remove the second stick of butter from the refrigerator once you’ve started the dough cycle and allow it to reach room temperature. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll and stretch the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 15″ by 24″ rectangle.

Mark off 1″ along the 24″ edge of the dough, closest to you. You will not spread any butter or Sugar-Cinnamon mixture on this edge so that you can seal the roll. Spread the softened butter over the dough with a rubber spatula and then evenly distribute the Sugar and Cinnamon mixture. Be careful to leave your 1″ edge clean. As a final step, use your rolling pin to lightly roll the Sugar and Cinnamon mixture.

Starting at the far edge of the dough, roll it up tightly. Begin at the far edge and roll up the dough toward the 1″ clean edge. The clean 1″ edge is used to seal the finished roll. Trim the left and right ends of the roll. The result will be a 24″ roll. Trim off the left and right ends of the roll so that you have a flush end at each end of the roll. Then mark the roll every 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm). Cut the roll into 1 1/2″ long portions. This may be done with a knife, as they do at the store. However we’ve found it easier to use dental floss. (We use cinnamon flavored dental floss just for dramatic effect!) Cut the roll by placing the thread under the roll at your mark, crisscross over and pull it to cut. You should get 15 rolls.

Line your baking pans with parchment paper. Place 5 rolls into 8″ square baking pans 1″ apart. (One roll in each corner, and one in the center.) Cover with a lint free cloth and let rise in a warm, draft free place until almost double, approximately 1 hour. After rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan. This is important for best results. This gives the resulting rolls the soft, moist outer edge that most people prefer.

After rising, bake in a convection oven at 310F for 15 minutes. If you are using a conventional oven, bake at 335F for 20 minutes. The resulting rolls should be only lightly browned. We bake only one 8 inch square pan of rolls at a time to obtain uniform results.

You will need a bread machine to make this recipe, and if you dont have one, this recipe alone is worth the purchase of one.

Submitted By
Eddie Beyer