Chill Out Cinnamon Buns
All that is needed is a bowl and a wooden spoon and you can make these delicious cinnamon buns. I love making these cinnamon buns because the dough is made one day, chilled overnight, and then assembled and baked. These buns are delicious with or without the frosting and are best served warm the day they are made.
Equipment
- KitchenAid mixer (optional)
- hand-held mixer (optional)
- 2 -9x13" glass baking pans
- A large lidded bowl
Ingredients
The dough:
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp yeast regular or instant
- 2 tsp kosher salt alternatively, use 1 tsp table salt
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup liquid honey
- ¾ cup butter melted and cooled. Note: Using melted butter in this recipe results in a loose tacky dough. It must be refrigerated overnight in order to firm up for rolling.
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon-sugar and melted butter for making the rolls:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter melted and cooled
Cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 6 tbsp confectioners' sugar icing sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
The first day make the dough:
- Combine all the the dough ingredients in the large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. If using a KitchenAid mixer, combine the ingredients using the dough hook attachment and then transfer the dough to the large bowl that has a lid. The dough will be loose, tacky and will be a bit lumpy. Don't worry, the texture will improve after the rise and chilling of the dough.
- Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place for 2 hours. It should rise and might collapse at the end of the 2 hours. This is expected but if it does not rise well, don't worry, the buns will still turn out the next day.
- Cover the large bowl with the lid and refrigerate overnight or up to 5 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to a month at this point.
The next day make the cinnamon buns:
- Butter two 9x13 baking dishes.
- Combine the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Remove the bowl with the dough from the refrigerator and cut the dough ball in half. Scoop out half of the dough (it will be a bit tacky) and form it into a dough ball on a floured surface.
- Working with one dough ball at a time, roll each dough ball into a rectangle about ¼" thick. Don't worry if you see lumps of butter in the dough, this is expected.
- Brush the rectangle with the melted butter and leave a ½" border. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on each rectangle.
- With one of the short sides facing you, roll the dough into a log. End with the seam down.
- Cut the dough log every 1½", about 8 buns per log, and place each cinnamon bun in the prepared pans. Give them approximately 1½" of space in the pan.
- Allow the cinnamon buns 1½-2 hours to rest and rise.
- Bake in a 350°F oven for 25-35 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove buns and place them on a wire rack until just warm if icing and serving immediately. Alternatively, cool the buns completely and store at room temperature for a day. For longer storage, put the baked buns in the refrigerator or the freezer.
Cream cheese frosting:
- Combine all the ingredients for the frosting and mix with a spoon or a hand-held mixer.
- If serving immediately, top the warm cinnamon buns with the frosting and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving: 1frosted bunCalories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 436mgPotassium: 87mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 623IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!