Cinnamon Buns

So I used to work in the mall. And I would shop at the Cinnabon location...three, maybe four times a week. I know that's excessive, but know you're own body and I'm thin and healthy and that's the past, so so-be-it. Anyway, one day about 6 months ago, I showed up to buy my bun and the place was gone! All this time later and there's still nothing there in its' place and here I am bun-less and sad.

I have made Cinnabon brand copycat recipes (and bought the Pillsbury Cinnabon products) before but nothing is the same. I haven't really experimented with any recipes that didn't claim to be copycat-ing the national chain before now, but as the last post mentioned my yeast stockpile, I came across this recipe and gave it a whirl. 

In the end it was a lot of work and was....semi worth the effort. With repetition this recipe could be perfected to yield some tasty tasty treats.

4 Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

(for the dough)

1/2 C warmed milk (microwave approx. 4 min.)

1 egg

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 1/4 c flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 c white sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon yeast

(for smearing on the dough)
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
half a container of cinnamon 

(for the icing)

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Instructions:

Put all dough ingredients into mixing bowl. Using dough hook, mix on medium speed until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl. Use well-floured hands to pat into a ball. Return to mixing bowl to rest for fifteen minutes.

After resting, roll dough out onto a floured surface into a rectangle. Rub the softened butter on it evenly. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon, spread liberally across the dough.

Roll into a log, slice into four and transfer buns to a plate. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, bake the buns for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

While they’re baking prepare the icing by putting butter and flour into mixing bowl, sifting powdered sugar in and using whisk attachment at high speed slowly add hot water one tablespoon at a time until icing forms.

Spread icing over hot rolls and enjoy. 

So, I started with these quality ingredients:

I melted the two tablespoons of butter for the dough mixture:

A shot of all the dough ingredients just before mixing:

My dough ball, while resting:

I rolled the dough out:

I spread the soft (but not melted) butter on it:

I spread the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture over that:

I rolled it up into a log:

And I had fun taking a few photos before I put them on the plate to refrigerate overnight:

In the morning I whipped up the icing.

Check out this killer action shot as I sifted the powdered sugar:

And once the icing was spread atop the warm buns, they were irresistible and cried out to be eaten, so, naturally, I obliged.

The end. Yum-a-roo!