The Cinnamon Bun Topic

[vox]

hi all...

i've tried making cinnamon buns and have followed several yeasted-dough recipes. my problem is as follows...

invariably, my dough turns out dry instead of moist and fluffy. and the tops of the buns (which will become the underside, because the other end is sitting in the sugar/pecan mixture on the bottom of the pan) always overbake and end up dry and too brown (probably from the sugar in the dough).

does anyone have any ideas on how to make a dough more moist? adding eggs? more milk?

or anyone have a recipe for a quality cinnamon bun?

[jackal10]

Don't know about cinnamon buns, but these are the finest Chelsea buns in the world

Fitzbillies Chelsea buns

My guess is that you are cooking too long/not hot enough.

Make sure the oven is properly pre-heated - turn it on an hour before you want to cook. A pizza stone, or quarry tiles lining the shelf help as well. Most of all use an oven thermometer. Oven themostats are notoriously unreliable. Aim for 220C 440F. and only cook for 18 mins.

Also the dough needs to be rolled very thinly, and not over-proofed. Cut both first and second proof times in half - say 1/2 hour each if you are using dried yeast and the proving in a warm place.

[FoodMan]

hi all...

i've tried making cinnamon buns and have followed several yeasted-dough recipes.  my problem is as follows...

invariably, my dough turns out dry instead of moist and fluffy.  and the tops of the buns (which will become the underside, because the other end is sitting in the sugar/pecan mixture on the bottom of the pan) always overbake and end up dry and too brown (probably from the sugar in the dough).

does anyone have any ideas on how to make a dough more moist?  adding eggs?  more milk?

or anyone have a recipe for a quality cinnamon bun?

Are we talking Cinnamon buns or Sticky buns??? I make Cinnamon buns all the time from Reinhart's "the Bread baker's apprentice" book and they come out perfect. However the Cinnamon buns do not sit in a sugar mixture (the sticky buns do which he also has a recipe for). The buns are rolled and baked then drizzled with confectioner's sugar glaze. The sticky buns utilize the exact same recipe for the dough but they have no cinnamon swirl in them and they do bake in sugar then are served "upside down".

Jackal has good advice about the temperature but I beg to differ on the rolling part. I make sure not to roll them too thin or they will get dry and tough instead of soft and fluffy.

Maybe u can post the recipe you are using and I will compare to mine and see if any improvement can be made.

If you need the recipe I use for either of the buns let me know and I will either e-mail it or post it.

FM

[jackal10]

How thin you roll them depends on whether you like your bun mostly bready, or the dough just a partition between the sugar/cinnamon goo. Don't forget it will double in thickness as it proves and bakes, so if it starts out 1/4 inch it will end up 1/2 inch. Most people have trouble rolling dough this thin, so my advise is still roll it as thin as you can.

[Holly Moore]

Just do me a favor and don't add a multi-inch thick slab of ciniamon icing ala Cinnebon (?Sp). Way too much of a good thing, but that seems to be the style nowadays.

[vox]

i'm pretty sure i'm talking cinnamon buns.

but they do have a swirl in them, and are baked in a glaze.

if i reduce the oven time, because they're baked so close together in a pan, the tops will not be dry, but the insides will still be underdone...

that's the problem i've noticed anyway.

so, it's not a problem with the dough?

p.s. please post your recipe...i'm really interested.

[nightscotsman]

Lately when I really need to have cinnamon buns I've been using the Cooks Illustrated recipe for quick, non-yeasted rolls. They are damn good and remarkably satisfying for something so quick and easy - they only take me about an hour from getting out ingredients to pulling finished from the oven. I made them for mamster and LaurieA-B and they seemed to like them. Since it's from CI I'm not sure if it's OK to post the recipe, but if you want it, PM me and I'll send it to you.

[Ladybug]

nightscotsman - I've been meaning to try that recipe and the only reason I've hesitated is that blurb in the article about needing to eat them right away. How do they hold up? Must they be eaten immediately? Would they be all right reheated the next day?

[nightscotsman]

Of course they are best soon out of the oven (as any cinnamon roll would be), but I've eaten them a day or two later just nuked for about 10 seconds and they're still great. When I took them to the office I made them the night before and they were fine.

Edited April 7, 2003 by nightscotsman (log)

[plated]

wrap them with plastic wrap, no holes, it will make it moist and soft. the reason for this is, no air is going to get contact with the bun to make it dry. just a suggestion.

[Ladybug]

Thanks, nightscotsman. BTW, I love reading about your desserts!

[Xanthippe]

Just do me a favor and don't add a multi-inch thick slab of ciniamon icing ala Cinnebon (?Sp).  Way too much of a good thing, but that seems to be the style nowadays.

Cinnabon is an atrocity. What it calls a cinnamon bun/roll gives the real thing a bad name.

[vox]

as an update.

i ended up making "monkey bread" instead...which is this tear apart bread that consists of a soft bread dough (i subbed whole wheat flour) rolled in butter and cinnamon sugar, layered in a bundt pan with a sticky pecan glaze.

the dough came out soft and moist.

[Ladybug]

I made the Cook's Illustrated non-yeasted cinnamon rolls today and I must say that they're the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made. The absolute best part about them is that they aren't too sweet. Every other recipe I've tried is just so rich that it's impossible to eat more than a few bites. The icing was great - cream cheese, buttermilk and powdered sugar! Wow! I made two small changes - I used nutmeg instead of cloves in the filling and I added vanilla to the icing.

[nightscotsman]

Yay! Glad you liked them, Ladybug. I think many people look at the recipe and wonder if anything so quick and easy could really be good, but I just love them. I'd be happy to send the recipe to anyone else who wants to try them.

[eGullet Staff]

Yay! Glad you liked them, Ladybug. I think many people look at the recipe and wonder if anything so quick and easy could really be good, but I just love them. I'd be happy to send the recipe to anyone else who wants to try them.

You should post it on the eGullet Recipe Archive.

[nightscotsman]

Yay! Glad you liked them, Ladybug. I think many people look at the recipe and wonder if anything so quick and easy could really be good, but I just love them. I'd be happy to send the recipe to anyone else who wants to try them.

You should post it on the eGullet Recipe Archive.

I would be happy to, but I'm waiting for a clarification on posting recipes from published (and copyrighted) sources.

By the way, who are you "eGullet Staff"? No fair hiding behind that curtain.

[Xanthippe]

I made the Cook's Illustrated non-yeasted cinnamon rolls today and I must say that they're the best cinnamon rolls I've ever made.  The absolute best part about them is that they aren't too sweet.  Every other recipe I've tried is just so rich that it's impossible to eat more than a few bites.  The icing was great - cream cheese, buttermilk and powdered sugar! Wow! I made two small changes - I used nutmeg instead of cloves in the filling and I added vanilla to the icing.

Synchronicity, Ladybug -- I also made a batch today! I concur: that recipe beats all others I've ever tried. AND, I also concur that the rolls are neither too rich nor two sweet, the two top cardinal sins existing in most cinnamon buns. I want mine to be intensely cinnamony, nongooey, and barely sweet; they should pay a warm and fragrant tribute to the world's most popular spice by perfuming the air for several feet in every direction.

These CI non-yeasted babies do just that. Thanks, nightscotsman!!

Edited April 9, 2003 by Xanthippe (log)

[nightscotsman]

You've very welcome. I've just added the recipe to the Archive - enjoy!

[Jason Perlow]

Yay! Glad you liked them, Ladybug. I think many people look at the recipe and wonder if anything so quick and easy could really be good, but I just love them. I'd be happy to send the recipe to anyone else who wants to try them.

You should post it on the eGullet Recipe Archive.

I would be happy to, but I'm waiting for a clarification on posting recipes from published (and copyrighted) sources.

By the way, who are you "eGullet Staff"? No fair hiding behind that curtain.

Its me, sometimes I forget to log out.

[JAZ]

Lately when I really need to have cinnamon buns I've been using the Cooks Illustrated recipe for quick, non-yeasted rolls.

"Non-yeasted?" What's the leavening, then -- baking powder? Are they like a light textured biscuit? I realize you can't post the recipe, but I'm curious about the the general method.

Edit: never mind -- I'll check the recipe archive.

Edited April 9, 2003 by JAZ (log)

[torakris]

I made these back when the article came out and was actually disappointed.

I think I will go back and give it another try they were really easy.

[sheetz]

I've been on a real cinnamon roll kick lately, so I thought I'd ask this question. What do you think is the world's BEST cinnamon roll recipe?

[JSkilling]

I've been on a real cinnamon roll kick lately, so I thought I'd ask this question.  What do you think is the world's BEST cinnamon roll recipe?

←

Kohler's Bakery in Avalon, NJ. I can safely say I'll never make my own but I'll gladly eat a few of these at the shore each year - and stand in a line 100 people deep to get them!

[maui420]

if been making cinnamon rolls alot lately and i can say that this one is my favorite. butter vs margerine has a big taste difference. margerine better for the filling and frosting imo. i think the hardest part is flattening out the dough for the roll.

http://www.gordonfamily.com/Recipes/cinnabon.htm