Cinnamon Breakfast Buns

Cinnamon is a spice that definitely triggers comfort to me.  As children, when we were ill, my mother always made us cinnamon toast with our tea, not to mention, the Snicker doodles she would have baking when we came home from school in the afternoon.  Yes, I love cinnamon.

I remember in the 80s, when we moved to California for my husband's job, my daughters and I were so excited to learn that Swenson's had a Cinnamon Ice Cream.  Do you remember Swenson's?  These ice cream parlors sprung up at about the same time that Haagan Dazs did where unusual ice cream flavors enticed us in to buy their expensive product:-D  Swenson's is only located in five states now--California, Florida, Minnesota, Nevada, and Texas, so I haven't had my beloved ice cream for a long time, unless I make my own.

Cinnamon has a long history of use, dating back to being mentioned in the Hebrew bible where Moses is commanded to use both sweet cinnamon and cassia in the holy anointing oil.  In Greek mythology is was highly prized as a gift fit for monarchs and even for a god.  There is a fine inscription that records a gift of cinnamon and cassia to the temple of Apollo at Miletus.  In 1518, Portuguese traders landed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and began exporting this precious spice.  The Dutch East India Company took over the trade and in 1796 the British eventually took it over from them with their occupation of the area.  It's widely used as a spice for desserts--how could you make a apple pie without it--but in some cultures, it's used in savory dishes as well, such as lamb and chicken.  And, if that's not enough information, I found that it has been proposed as a an insect repellent, although not fully tested.

Cinnamon Breakfast Buns
1 cup milk
4 T unsalted butter
In a 2-cup glass measure, microwave the butter and milk for 45 seconds to 1 minute to melt the butter.  Add water to this mixture to equal 2 cups of liquid.

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg
2 T (or 2 pkg) SAF  Gold Yeast
5-5 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix the sugar, salt and egg together.  While the mixer is running, pour the milk/butter/water liquid into it.  Continue to run mixture on low and sprinkle in the yeast.

Turn off the mixer and remove the paddle attachment; add the dough hook to the stand mixer.  Allow the mixture to set for 5 to 7 minutes until it's "foamy."

Add 3 cups of the flour and the cinnamon and mix on speed #2.  Gradually add the remaining 2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour until the dough is pulling away from the sides.
Transfer to a lightly flour bread board and knead to form a smooth ball.

Place in a large bowl (or dough bucket) that has been brushed with melted butter.  Allow to rise until double, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

To check to see if it's risen enough, press your finger into the dough, an impression should remain of your finger.

Cinnamon~Sugar Mixture
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Vanilla powder (I found this product at Williams-Sonoma)

Mix together and set aside.  Meanwhile, melt 4 T butter with 2 T maple syrup in a small saucepan.  Remove from the stove when the butter is melted.

To assemble buns:
1. Roll dough to a 12" x 18" rectangle.

 2. Brush with the melted butter/maple syrup mixture, then heavily sprinkle with over half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

3.  Starting at the side, away from you, tightly roll up the dough towards you.  Pinch the seam to seal.

4. Use a serrated knife to cut the dough in half, then each half into 6 pieces--this recipe makes a dozen.
5. Butter the wells of two jumbo muffin pans.

6.  Keeping one hand as your "dirty hand," pick up one of the buns and brush additional butter/maple syrup around the sides and on top.

 7. Take the bun over to the cinnamon/sugar bowl and sprinkle additional mixture around the sides and on top before setting it into a muffin well.

8. Cover the muffin pans with plastic wrap and allow to rise again...about 30 to 40 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F-degrees.

9. When buns have risen, brush some additional butter on top and sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar.  Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes.

10.  When done, allow to set in the pan about 10 minutes, before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

In addition to your home smelling heavenly, these buns were delicious and those memories of childhood came back with my mom making me toast and tea...sitting by my bedside and telling me it would make me feel better.  Enjoy!

 

Cinnamon Sticky Bun Cake

Both my grands have gone home and I'm lost without them...especially in the kitchen.  I flew Maddie home yesterday and returned last night with a strange quietness in the house.  Oh, how I miss those laughs and the constant call of "Mimi!"

I'm exhausted and the temperatures actually reached 91F-degrees (33C) here today, but baking helps me to remember good times, especially these last two weeks, and this recipe has been bouncing around in my head begging to be tried.  I thought, "how could I make a cake that resembled one of my favorite breakfast treats--cinnamon sticky buns?" Those warm gooey buns, loaded with pecans appear to be of German origin from the 18th century.  Schnecken is leavened dough that has been rolled, then spread with butter, sprinkled with a cinnamon~brown sugar mixture and topped with pecans onto the surface before rolling them up and cutting into buns.   The cake I made is sponge cake, much like my mother made for jelly-roll cakes, but the buttercream icing is loaded with cinnamon and homemade caramel, not to mention toasted pecans to create this memorable cake.

Cinnamon Sticky Bun Cake
1 cup Queen Guinevere Cake Flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine Sea Salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup for the egg whites
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs (separated)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2 Tahitian Vanilla beans, split and scraped

Preheat oven to 325F-degrees.  Spray a 12" x 16" baking pan with a baking spray.  Line with parchment paper and spray again.  Dust surface with flour or use a baking spray that contains flour.

Sift the dry ingredients and place in a large bowl.  In a measuring cup, add the eggs, oil and water and stir into the dry ingredients, using a spatula, briskly.

Add the vanilla beans and stir to combine.

In a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the eggs whites until frothy, then, add the cream of tartar and beat until slightly stiff. White the mixer is running, slowly add the remaining 1/4-cup of granulated sugar.  Beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny.

Stir one-third of the stiff egg whites into the batter and then, proceed to gently fold the rest in, about 1/3 at a time--try not to deflate the mixture.

Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven.  Cook 16 to 20 minutes until cake is golden brown and fully cooked.

Let cake cool completely before assembly.

Make Homemade Caramel or use store-bought.

Cinnamon Butter Cream w/Toasted Pecans
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
5 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Toast pecans for 7 to 9 minutes.  Remove from the oven and rough chop them.  Set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter thoroughly.  Add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Add the cinnamon and the caramel and beat to combine.

Spread the buttercream on the cake and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

Divide the cake into thirds.

Roll up the first section and stand it up on the serving dish. 

Continue with the second, then the third strip to complete the "roll."

Use the buttercream to icing the entire outside of the cake.  Sprinkle with additional pecans.

The cake is light and the icing is so amazing.  It may not be as good as a hot sticky bun from the oven, but it's pretty darn close:-) Enjoy!