Thursday, July 15, 2010

Cinnamon Buns

Ahhhh....cinnamon buns.  It is one of those amazing things, that I truly truly miss about the U.S.A.  The wafting smells of hot cinnamon, the gooey glaze dripping down your hands and off your lips, sooo good.  I always remember being crazily drawn to the smell, as if I was in one of those cartoons where you see the aroma wafting and the character starts floating, eyes half closed towards the origin of said aroma.  But alas, like being shocked into a very bad nightmare, you bite into the cinnamon bun and it isn't what you imagined it to be.  It is surprisingly hard around the edges, having been baked hours or days before, only to be re-heated in that abomination of an invention that we refer to as a Microwave.  Oh, how deceptive it can be, how unfair life is at times. 
Soooo......I like to make them at home.  Nothing, I mean nothing smells better in your kitchen than cinnamon buns baking in your oven, giving your house that unmistakeable cinnamony smell that no candle from Bath and Body Works can replicate.  The recipe that I use, has mashed potatoes, giving it that extra oomph of fluffiness that any cinnamon bun conisseur appreciates, and my brown sugar cinnamon glaze with extra butter, yes, extra butter my friends, makes it gooey-liscious!

So, without further ado, I give you all, dear readers, my "Make-your-house-smell-divine-and-burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth-because-you-really-can't-wait-ten-minutes" recipe for cinnamon buns:

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package dry yeast (1/4 oz. or 7g)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed potatoes (about 3 small)
5 1/2 cups flour (approximately)
1 3/4 cups unsalted butter (440g)
2 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans

Scald the milk, cool to lukewarm and pour into a large bowl.  Stir in the sugar, salt and yeast.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, mashed potatoes and 1 1/2 cups of flour until just mixed (don't overmix) and leave it for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup butter (125g) and let cool to lukewarm.
Add the melted butter to the yeast mixture.  Stir in the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until smooth and not sticky.  Tramsfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes, adding more flour if needed.  Transfer to a greased bowl, turning to coat, and cover and let rise in a warm place until tripled in volume, about 2 hours.
Melt another 1/2 cup of butter in a small saucepan.  Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a rectangle 5mm thich (1/4 inch).  Brush with the melted butter.  Combine 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.  Roll up like a jelly roll, and slice into 1 inch thick rounds, you should get about 9 per roll.  Melt the remaining 3/4 cups butter with the remaining 2 cups brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes.  Pour the mix in a large baking dish, and sprinkle with your chopped nuts.  Place the rolls, flat side down on top of the nuts.  Cover with a flour rubbed dishtowel and let sit for another hour. 
Preheat your oven to 350 F (180C).  Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 25 minutes.  When done, cover with a serving platter and invert.  Carefully remove pan, so the caramel runs down over the rolls.

Voila.  Don't eat them all at once.  Save one for breakfast.