Breakfast, Recipes, Snacks
Hey everyone! It’s such a relief to talk to you guys. The rest of the world can be a drag sometimes, you know? Not everyone understands the importance of cinnamon buns.
I could talk cinnamon buns endlessly. Do you go super gooey, or a little flaky? Nuts or no nuts? Straight brown sugar, or do you add maple syrup or honey or some other crazy thing? Just plain cinnamon or a little sum’n extra? Sweet dough, or plain? Everything and anything else.
I make cinnamon buns a lot. A lot, a lot. Because I love ’em and my boyfriend loves ’em, and because I can’t stop experimenting with them! They don’t all end up on here though.
But, it seems like there are a lot of swirl-lovers out there, because I posted a picture of these bad boys on instagram and everyone went crazy for the swirl. And of course, because I love you (and because Miss Michelle asked for it), here’s the recipe.
Let me break these down for you. In the lexicon of cinamon buns, rolls, scrolls, sticky buns, etc., these are more of a Scandinavian style pastry. Dense and slightly flaky, they are filled with cinnamon, butter and brown sugar with an added pinch of cardamon.
The beauty, the grace, the delight of these buns lies in their endless layers. The trick is to roll the dough out into a nice thin rectangle, spread the filling thinly over it, and then roll it up from the short side. Maximum filling distribution is the name of the game.
So how do you feel about the beloved cinnamon bun? Does this look like your dream bun, or is it COMPLETELY different? This really hit the spot for me today, but tomorrow I’m just as likely to be dreaming of a salted caramel and macadamia nut version or something.
Actually, that sounds pretty good.
Super Swirly Cinnamon Buns
These cinnamon buns are all about the layers and the filling.
Author: Sarah Coates
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups (450g) plain flour
- ¼ cup (60g) caster sugar
- 1 + ½ tsp dried yeast
- 1 cup (250ml) milk
- 1 egg
- ½ stick (60g) butter, melted
For the filling:
- ½ stick (60g) butter
- ½ cup (110g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cardamom
For the glaze:
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- First, place all the ingredients for the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer, and work with the dough hook on a low speed for about five minutes or until everything comes together into a soft, not very sticky dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour.
- Meanwhile, beat together all the ingredients for the filling until smooth.
- When the dough has risen, place it onto a floured surface and roll it out into a large rectangle, about 15x20in (40x50cm), and spread the filling thinly over the surface.
- Starting from the short edge tightly roll the dough up into a sausage.
- Slice off the uneven ends, and then make diagonal cuts into the dough to make 8 cinnamon buns, each with a short side and a long side. Roll the buns onto the long side and press them down slightly, and then place them on a lined baking sheet to prove for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F/200C and once the buns are proved, bake them for 20 minutes.
- Stir together the ingredients for the glaze, and then brush this onto the buns as soon as they come out of the oven. Leave them to cool on the tray, and then eat!
Tags from the story
buns, cinnamon, cinnamon buns, layers, super swirly, yeast
55
Written By
Sarah Coates
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55 Comments
Man these look good. I am definitely going to give them a try. In London I used to love going to the Nordic Bakery for hot chocolate and cinnamon buns and these look pretty similar so hoping for some nostalgia eating.
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One of these with a hot choc would be heaven. We should meet up in Rome – you bring the hot choc, I’ll bring some of these!
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on this cold and snowy
may morning
they look sooo good
have to make them
thanksReply
I love this comment – it’s like a sweet little poem.
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They’re so!! swirly! Love that! pinned
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Thanks Averie!
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is it bad that i want to lick the leftover cinnamon bun residue from the pan?? i mean… before and/or after stuffing one of these guys into my face?? these look AMAZING. and great recipe!
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No. No there is nothing wrong with that urge, whatsoever. That is a natural and beautiful urge.
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I love them all!! These look like they’d be perfect for my breakfast. :) Beautiful Sarah!
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Thanks Maria! I was channeling your Scandi spirit, obviously.
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I literally cannot get over how many layers of swirl you’ve got in your buns!!! These just look so damn golden and beautiful and made me in the mood for this crossed with a sticky bun crossed with a huge dollop of warm cream cheese icing.
I actually find it really difficult to think of flavour pairings for buns… But seeing this has deffo ignited a bun related spark in my head, thank you!Reply
YUSSSSSS! Cream cheese icing on everything. Ev-ry-thing.
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Loving all those swirls!! These are super pretty girl!
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Thanks Katrina!
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Wow! These are so beautiful! Great photography and gorgeoussssss recipe :-)
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Thanks Aimee – love your work!
Those swirly swirls! Those layers for dayz. So in love with these.
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*cue belly rumbling*
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Prettiest cinnamon buns ever! I’m used to the American-style rolls packed into a round tin, but these are clearly SO much better. Look at all those beautiful layers of filling… :)
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Those swirls girl! Get it!
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I’ve never made this awesome treat since yeast dough intimidates me, but these look amazing :D
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Double the swirly ends! The Scandinavians are definitely on to something.
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I’ve just been sat doing crazy chopping, flipping motions with my hands trying to work out the method. Genius! Nice buns x
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I love how swirly these are! I also love cinnamon rolls/sticky buns but I rarely make them because I just can’t resist them. My favorite ones are pecan-honey-sticky buns using a super rich brioche dough…they’re DANGER.
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I want to go to there.
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um…YEAH! I would say these are my dream cinnamon bun-I love the texture and ALL THOSE SWIRLSSSSSS!
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If you literally just posted cinnamon buns, I would be a very happy person. I like them gooey and with lots of cinnamon. And these swirls!!!
So into these.
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I understand the importance of these rolls! They look fantastic!
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OMG the layers!!! These look so insanely delicious – and beeautiful!!
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Beautiful and simply perfect cinnamon buns. I’ll be trying these soon!
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These are the swirliest! So pretty! I do not discriminate and love all cinnamon buns equally.
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OMG I buy these in Lidl and have for breakfast every day. Have been dreaming of making my own and you pop up on foodgawker – perfect. As I’m the only one in our house that eats them, can they be frozen?
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Hey Bibs! These would freeze beautifully. I would wrap them individually and then they’d be happy in the freezer for about 6 weeks I reckon!
xx Sarah.Reply
Hi Sarah , I had been looking for a Cinnamon bun recipe exactly like this , I mean which is not too fluffy and spongy but yet soft and delicious . I will soon give it a try. Do check out my blog if Indian cuisine interests you , though I have a few international recipes too. You have amazing snaps , its almost as if the cinnamon buns are right before me. Keep sharing the wonderful work with us.
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These look AMAZING!
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I looove the look of these, but the cinnamon buns of my dreams are supa soft and fluffy and gooey (so thicker layers.. thus less pretty)
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Hey sarah , I tried them today…they are awesome…thank you
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That’s awesome! My total pleasure.
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The recipe was easy, they came out wonderful,
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Fantastic! Thanks Paulette!
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Salted caramel and macadamia nut cinnamon bun? You are not allowed to post another recipe until I see this on your site, because : OMG.
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Been reading your site for a while, first time I made something, it was delicious! But some of mine didn’t turn out as nice, the middle swirls popped out a bit. Would love to see some in progress pictures.
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These look amazing. Thank you for putting the metric measurements.
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Omg….these look Sooo STUPID GOOD….I’ saw them last night while pinning in bed…wanted to get up and start them at Midnight!!! Well 12 Hours Later…I’m doing ’em Now!!! What else to you do on a Saturday afternoon? I can’t do much…I’m sitting around waiting for my bolognes sauce to simmer for the next 4 Hours…so…why not!!!!
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Saw this last night… It was midnight… But I so wanted to get up and make these…well 12 hrs later…heeeere I go!!!! Goodbye waistline…or whatever waist there is!!!
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Your cinnamon buns look fantastic, i will be making them for Mother’s Day on Sunday,but I was wondering if I could freeze them uncooked as i wouldn’t have time to make them in the morning from scratch.
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I don’t think the yeast would survive being frozen, unfortunately! Here are some other options:
1) Bake them completely in advance, freeze them, and then reheat them in the morning. The secret is to put a pan of boiled water in the oven at the same time to make a steamy environment and stop them drying out, and keep the oven temp pretty low, around 160C/320F.
2) Make the dough and the filling the night before, and leave them in the fridge over night (this will actually improve the dough), and then roll them and bake them in the morning – delicious!Reply
Hi! I tried making these and thought I understood your instructions on how to cut the rolls but mine definitely didn’t look as pretty as yours. Do you happen to have any pictures of how you cut the rolls from the long tube? Or even just a paraphrase of how to cut them for dumb me? Thank you!
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I didn’t think i’d ever fall in love again….
WITH A CINNAMON BUN!
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love seeing original ideas on blogs! This really looks yummy and reallllllllly makes me want to hop in the kitchen and bake it pronto !!
Kendra
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these look awesome! I do have a question though. Can you use granulated or turbinado sugar instead of castor sugar? I have never seen or heard of that stuff before. I’d love to give this recipe a try!
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Hey Jen, if you’re in the USA, then caster sugar is just superfine sugar. So you could either use that or just regular granulated sugar!
x
SarahReply
I tried these today but could not figure out the rolling and cutting technique. Can you share any progress photos?
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These look amazing and I want to try them right now! One question, do I have to activate the yeast first with warm water and sugar or just put the dry yeast straight into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients?
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Hey Lovely – it just goes straight in! xx
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