Recipe of the Month: Big Cinnamon Buns
By Angela Zaher / Recipe by Brontë Aurell
“There is something magical that happens when we enter a kitchen that isn’t only about sustenance. We all recall dishes from our childhood, and cooking is about creating memories.” With these evocative words, Brontë Aurell introduces us to her beautiful cookbook, The Scandinavian Year. That was enough motivation for me to have a go at one of her recipes and it had to be cinnamon buns if only for that impressive three letter adjective “big”.
Based on my results and the happiness created by these buns, I very much encourage you to have a go as well. I’ve never attempted twisting dough round my fingers, I didn’t think I had it in me to do something so delicate. But somehow, Brontë’s expert and calm tone gave me the confidence to try it out and it worked- I felt like I had achieved. If you’re likewise emboldened, please send us your thoughts and pictures via @timeandleisure and we’ll make sure to share on our socials.
Angela’s Suggestions
I no longer use butter in my baking, I have swapped it out for a plant based alternative that’s more sustainable and in my experience, easier to use: olive oil. To do this, reduce the butter quantity specified by a 1/3rd.
Also, don’t be put off by the requirement for fresh yeast: I’m a confirmed instant yeast user and followed the instructions on quantities to use for this alternative.
Angela Zaher is a freelance writer based in London. Her articles have been published in The Evening Standard, Delicious, Platinum, Good Housekeeping and Business Insider. Find her on Instagram @angela_zaher
Big cinnamon buns
MAKES 14-16
Ingredients:
Dough
- 1 quantity Basic Bun Dough
- flour, for dusting
- 1 beaten egg, for brushing
- 60 ml / 3 tablespoons golden/corn syrup, for brushing
- nibbed/pearl sugar, to decorate
Filling
- 150 g / 1⅓ sticks butter, softened
- 150 g / ¾ cup caster/granulated sugar
- 75 g / ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
- 20 g / 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets, lined with baking parchment
Method:
To make the filling, whip the butter with the sugars, spices and salt until spreadable and soft.
Dust a tabletop with flour and roll out the dough to a very large rectangle, approx. 90 × 30 cm / 35 × 12 inches.
Spread the filling all over, then fold the dough over itself so you end up with two layers of filling. The dough is now approx. 30 × 30 cm / 12 × 12 inches.
Gently roll the dough out a little more to around 50 × 30 cm / 20 × 12 inches.
Using a knife or pizza slicer, cut the dough into 14–16 long pieces, slicing from one short edge to the other.
To knot the bun:
Take one piece of dough and gently stretch it, being careful not to tear it.
Twist the dough twice around your fingers, then wrap the rest of the dough around the middle bit, as you remove from your fingers, ensuring the end bit is tucked underneath. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Place the buns on the lined baking sheets and leave to prove for a second rise for 20–25 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC / 200ºC fan / 425ºF / Gas 7.
Brush the buns with beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for around 10–13 minutes or until baked through – the baking time may vary by oven. If the buns are browning too quickly, you can turn the oven temperature down a bit.
As soon as you remove the buns from the oven, immediately brush all over with warmed golden/corn syrup and add a generous amount of nibbed/pearl sugar on top.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave it on top until the buns cool down (this will prevent a crust from forming).
Tip: Too many buns? Freeze on the day of baking.
