How to Make a Massive Cinnamon Bun, Perfect for Weekend Sharing

Yahoo Food Recipes

This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from The Sugar Hit! Sweets That Pack a Punch! by Sarah Coates (Hardie Grant), the writer behind the award-winning blog The Sugar Hit! Try making the recipes at home and let us know what you think!

image

Photograph by Chris Middleton

By Sarah Coates

Giant Cinnamon Bun
Serves 8-10

The pursuit of a really good cinnamon bun has taken me to the kitchen and kept me there. To me, these little buns represent the kind of cozy, fun-filled, crowded life that I’m always chasing – and the best thing is that they often deliver it. If there’s one sure-fire way to lure people into the kitchen, it’s to bake a GIANT cinnamon bun. The balance of spice to sugar to beautifully light and buttery dough is absolutely crucial. This bonkers version is the ultimate.

1 ounce butter, melted
4 ounces (½ cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 ounce (¼ cup) chopped pecans, plus extra, to serve

Dough
2 ¾ ounces butter
6 ½ fluid ounces (¾ cup) milk
1 pound (3 cups) strong (bread) flour
2 ounces (¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten

Icing
5 ½ ounces (2/3 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 ounces (2/3 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or good-quality natural vanilla extract)

To make the dough, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the milk, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Put the remaining dough ingredients and the slightly cooled milk and butter mixture in a large bowl and stir to bring the mixture together. On a floured work surface (or using a stand mixer), knead until a smooth, elastic and ever-so-slightly tacky dough forms. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to rise for 30–45 minutes, or until doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, grease and line a 9 inch round springform cake tin. When the dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface again. Roll the dough out into a 12 inch square. Spread the melted butter over the dough and sprinkle over the brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Slice the dough lengthways into 6 equal strips. Roll the first strip up in a spiral, just like a regular cinnamon bun. Roll the next strip around the first one, and then one more strip after that. Now plonk this giant bun in your greased tin, and drape and wrap the remaining strips of dough around it. You should end up with a very ramshackle giant cinnamon roll. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and set aside for about 45 minutes to rise.

Preheat the oven to 350­­°F. When the bun has risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake for 35–45 minutes, or until golden, risen and cooked through. Remove the bun from the tin and leave to cool until just warm.

For the icing, beat together all the ingredients, slather the mixture over the top of the bun, scatter over the extra pecans and tear into it.

Reprinted with permission from The Sugar Hit! Sweets That Pack a Punch! by Sarah Coates (Hardie Grant).

image

The Sugar Hit! Sweets That Pack a Punch! by Sarah Coates

More sweet breakfast recipes to wake up to:

French Toast with Orange Yogurt from ‘NOPI’

Breakfast + Dessert: Dreamy Bananas Foster French Toast

How to Make Homemade Toaster Strudel (and Skip the Toaster)