Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon…

I cannot begin to explain how comforting is the smell of cinnamon wafting through the kitchen and filling up the whole home. There is something positively uplifting in the sweet and warm notes of the spicy goodness – it spells warmth for me – the familiar warmth of being at HOME. Not that I have any childhood memories that flash through my mind but somehow that doesn't seem to matter!

No wonder I always prefer the simple cinnamon dusted doughnuts, cinnamon laced cappuccino, the cinnamon-y apple crumble and even the sharp sweetness of the cinnamon flavoured chewing gums.

So much for my cinnamon love – the irony is I had never actually baked with my (almost) favourite ingredient. This does not mean I have not hoarded supplies of this spice … from a couple of bottles of ground cinnamon to the all natural cinnamon sticks (intend to make red wine poached pears sometime). 

Finally when I did set out to bake this time, I had made up my mind to make a batch of the cinnamon buns. I have tasted the ones we get in the market – with all the frosting on top – don’t get me wrong but I detest them !!! Partially because I know that the frosting is nothing but sugar and it leaves me feeling very guilty (and messy too). Also the overdose of sugar takes away from the natural mild sweetness of the cinnamon – leaving them as nothing but an explosion of sugar with hints of cinnamon all wrapped up in a doughy shell. I know this might sound heavenly to a lot of people but it does not entice me at all. I like subtle tastes where all the ingredients are in harmony – and this is exactly what my version of the cinnamon buns is.

Feel free to drizzle as much or as less frosting on top of them if you prefer them like that – I ate mine just like that – straight from the oven with a hot cup of coffee 

The inspiration came from Nigella Lawson’s book – “How to be a domestic goddess”. I intended to follow the recipe verbatim but as is the case with most recipes – they don’t work for the ingredients in India – I have always had to make adjustments and then the recipe I end up with is miles (well not actually – but a couple hundred meters) from the original. But it works and works wonderfully. So here is MY recipe for MY version of the cinnamon buns…

Ingredients

For the dough

200 gm flour + 100 gm

30gm sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast (active dry)

120 ml milk

1 egg

30 gm butter (I used salted and cut back on some of the salt)

Water

Filling

50 m unsalted butter

50 gm sugar

1 tbs ground cinnamon

Activate the yeast. In a bowl take luke warm water (2 tsp normal + 1 tsp boiling water) and dissolve 1 tsp sugar into it. Next add in the yeast and mix well. Keep aside in a warm place for the yeast to activate. It’s ready to use when it turns frothy which may take a few minutes.

Combine 200gm of flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Next whisk together the milk, melted butter and egg (reserve a teaspoon of the egg) and mix into the flour mixture along with the yeast. This will form a very wet mixture and might leave you thinking that something has gone terribly wrong.

Keep calm and carry on ;)

On a clean kitchen counter dust some flour and take out the flour mixture and begin kneading. Keep on adding flour and continue kneading till it all comes together into springy dough.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place to rise. My dough took around 30 minutes to double in volume – depends on the quality of yeast. Just be patient and let the yeast do its work.

In another bowl mix together all the ingredients for the filling and set aside.

Once the dough is ready take a third of the dough and spread at the bottom of a lined baking sheet working with your fingers. Next roll the remaining dough into 1 cm thick rectangle and spread the filling evenly. 

Roll the rectangle on one of the edges to get something like a log. Cut it into pinwheels (I got 12 out of mine).

Place on the baking sheet leaving space between them and brush them with egg. Set aside to rise for another 15-20 minutes.

Bake in a hot oven at 190 degree Celsius till they turn golden brown for around 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before serving. These Cinnamon buns are best eaten warm.