My family loves cinnamon buns and I often make a recipe that sits in the fridge overnight and that is great when I am organized. Sometimes though I think of it in the morning and will make this quick Cinnamon Bun recipe that can be ready to eat in less than 1.5 hours. They use a mix of quick-rising yeast and baking soda and are super yummy!!! The addition of diced apple, sauteed in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and also a bit of room temperature cream cheese spread on the dough right before rolling up makes me think of the delicious Cinnabon buns. Read through the recipe first so that you are prepared for all the steps. The recipe calls for melted butter throughout. I melt 1/2 cup butter in a coffee cup and then add it throughout the recipe (in the cinnamon filling, in the dough, before baking and in the glaze)
Apple-filled Cinnamon Buns
Apple Filling
2 tbsp butter
3 medium apples (I use Granny Smith Apples)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Peel and dice apple. Toss with the brown sugar, cornstarch and spices. Sauté in butter until soft. Let it cool. Sometimes I make it the night before and store in the fridge.
Cinnamon Filling
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt (I find that a little salt makes it taste better)
2 tbsp melted butter (I tend to use unsalted butter)
1 tsp vanilla
Mix together in a bowl and put to the side
Dough
1/4 cup milk, slightly warmed in the microwave to 100˚F (15-25 seconds)
1 tsp sugar stirred into warmed milk
4 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast stirred into the milk (I get mine yeast in small packets and I use 1 1/2 packets)
Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy (the yeast is working)
In a bigger bowl mix together the following:
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp of melted butter
1 cup milk (at room temperature)
3 tbsp cream cheese softened at room temperature
Add foamy yeast, 2 tbsp of melted butter and milk to the dry ingredients and mix together until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a floured counter and knead for about 2 minutes until a smooth ball forms.
Roll out dough to a rectangle, measuring 12-14 inches wide and 10-11 inches deep with the long side along the edge of the counter. Spread the width of the dough gently with 3 tbsp of softened cream cheese (it won’t cover all the rectangle), then spread 2 tbsp of melted butter evenly over the top and sprinkle on the cinnamon filling and top with the apple filling. Leave the fillings 1/2 inch away from the far edge so that the roll will seal.
Gently roll up the dough from the edge of the counter back to the far edge. Hopefully your bench has been floured and the dough doesn’t stick to the counter. Let the roll sit on the seam to seal and I push it together a bit from each end. Cut into 10 pieces and place into a 9X13″ buttered pan. I make two rows of 5 buns. They can also be placed in a 10 inch springform pan. I like to give them room to rise. You could cut them into less pieces and put them in a smaller pan but they might take longer to bake.
Top the buns with 2 tbsp of melted butter and let them rest for 30 minutes lightly covered with plastic wrap. Heat oven to 350˚F.
Remove the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges are well-browned. Let the buns cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then drizzle with the following glaze and enjoy.
Glaze
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 to 3/4 cups icing sugar
Mix together to get a glaze that is thick but not too thick that it can’t be drizzled/spread on top of the buns.
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