Cinnamon Buns with Vanilla Icing
This recipe is for the cinnamon buns my mom has always made. While the bulk of the recipe comes from a Good Housekeeping magazine, there have been changes made to it over the years. You know one of those recipes that you have cross-outs and notes written all over it.
Note that these are cinnamon buns. Not to be confused with sticky buns. They aren’t made to be gooey and sticky on the outside, but when you reach those layer, you all that yummy goodness. Plus if you’re one who likes them messy, how about that frosting? Am I right?
Makes 20 Buns
Ingredients
Dough
4 1/2 t of active dry yeast (2 packages)
2/3 c sugar
2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
7 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 3/4 c milk
6 T butter
3 eggs
Filling
1 c sugar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 c butter
Icing
1/2 c butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c powdered sugar
1 t vanilla
Directions
In a large bowl mix together the yeast, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and 3 cups of flour (I sifted everything, but it’s not necessary).
In a small saucepan on low heat, warm your milk and 6 T of butter together until very warm or about 125F. Note that the butter may not melt all the way, but that’s okay.
Add the eggs to the dry ingredients and then slowly mix them in with the warm milk & butter. I used my stand mixer with a kneading hook, but you can certainly mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides as needed. Once fully mixed, stir in another 4 c of flour to form a dough ball.
Knead dough in an extra 1/2 c of flour for 10 minutes. I used my stand mixer with a kneading hook and put it on low for 8 minutes. Transfer your dough to a greased bowl, cover loosely with a towel and let sit in a warm area for about 45 minutes or until twice the size.
Meanwhile make your filling by mixing the sugar and cinnamon together. Melt your butter once it gets closer to the 45 minute mark.
Cut your dough in half and roll it out on a very lightly floured surface so that it makes about an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. Pour half of the melted butter on the dough and use a brush or your hand to spread it evenly. Then sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly. Roll your dough lengthwise so that your roll ends up longer rather than shorter. Cut into 10 equal pieces and place in a greased roasting pan (I used a little of the melted butter to grease it). Repeat again with the other half of everything.
Loosely cover your rolls with a towel and let rise for another 45 minutes or until doubled in size. When it gets closer to the 45 minute mark, preheat your oven to 350F.
Uncover your rolls and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
In the meantime make your icing by beating together all your frosting ingredients. I suggest using an electric mixer if you have one. Beat until there are no lumps. Note that your icing will be thick (more like a frosting consistency).
Serve topped with your icing. You can either use a knife to frost the icing on or microwave for about 40 seconds, stir with a whisk and pour the icing overtop.
Notes
Gluten-free: This recipe is not gluten-free, but should work if you use a 1-1 gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free: You can use a dairy-free milk as a substitute to make it dairy-free.
Yeast: You can use quick-rise yeast instead. The rise will only take 15 minutes each time.
Spices: The original recipe calls for 1 t cardamon if you’d like to try that instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg. You can also leave out the spices if preferred.
Butter: You can substitute butter for margarine.
Filling: Feel free to add any nuts, fruit, chocolate or whatever else you like to the filling.
Meal Prep Notes
Here are a few ways to make your cinnamon buns ahead of time:
Option 1: Make the entire recipe ahead-of-time and store your buns on the counter (unfrosted) or in the fridge (frosted) to eat them within 5 days of baking. Reheat buns in the microwave for 20-30 seconds with icing on top.
Option 2: Make the buns up to step 6 and let them sit in the fridge for up to 2 days before you’d like to bake them. Let the buns sit on the counter for about 40 minutes before putting in the oven.
Option 3: Make the buns up to step 7 and freeze the buns in a pan. Take your buns out of the freezer the night before to let them defrost and rise a bit more. Then bake according to step 8. Buns can be in the freezer for up to 30 days.
Option 4 : Make the entire recipe and freeze the cooked buns (with or without icing, it’s up to you). Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Buns can be in the freezer for up to 30 days.