Showing posts with label Cinnamon Rolls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cinnamon Rolls. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

STICKY BUNS WITH CROISSANT DOUGH - FINGER-LICKING GOOD!


If you undertake the (highly rewarding!) task to make croissants, you might wonder what to do with all that delicious, buttery dough - if you have just two people to feed (like me). 

It's not worth the effort to make smaller amounts, but croissants are best enjoyed the same day, and laminated dough doesn't like long hibernation in the freezer.

Fortunately, Standard Baking Co. ("Pastries") has more suggestions for the use of laminated dough: morning buns (aka sticky buns): flaky cinnamon rolls with caramelized walnuts.

Sticky buns,  very popular in the US, are the great-grandchildren of the good old German Zimtschnecke (= "cinnamon snail"), brought by immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

With or without nuts - true to their name, these sweet little rolls are finger-licking good! 

These buns are finger-licking good!

When I make croissants, I always separately freeze a third of the prepared laminated dough, either to fill it later with ham or cheese, or turn it into sticky buns.


STICKY BUNS  (adapted from Standard Baking Co.: "Pastries")

         12 buns                                              Ingredients                                           4 buns   

1 recipe croissant dough                 after resting period, chilled             1/3 croissant recipe (ca. 460 g)
295 g dark brown sugar                                                                           98 g dark brown sugar
2.9 g/1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon                                                               1 g ground cinnamon
                                                          chopped walnuts, to taste


Sprinkle muffin cups with cinnamon sugar and chopped walnuts

In small bowl, stir together brown sugar and cinnamon.

Butter muffin pan (cups and top surface). Place 1 teaspoon (firmly packed) cinnamon sugar into each muffin cup, then sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Roll out croissant dough into a square (here for 4 Sticky Buns)

On lightly floured surface, roll croissant dough into 9 by 22 inch (23 x 56 cm) rectangle (12 buns), or a 9 by 7.3 inch/23 x 18.5 cm rectangle (4 buns), about 1/4 inch/13 mm thick.

Spread dough rectangle evenly with remaining cinnamon sugar.

Roll dough into a tight log (here for 4 buns)

Starting with a long side (12 buns) or a short side (4 buns), roll dough into a tight log. Place log seam side down. (Remove any loose flour from surface with pastry brush). 

Using a sharp chef's knife, cut log into slices

Using sharp chef's knife, cut log into 1 3/4 inch/4 cm thick slices (add any runaway cinnamon sugar to muffin pan)). Place dough slices into muffin cups, with cut side down. 

Place slices into muffin cups

Let buns rise at moderately warm room temperature for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, or until they have doubled in size (finger poke test: a dimple should not fill up again).

20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC, with rack in middle position.

The buns have doubled in size

Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any sugary spills).

Bake buns for about 30 - 35 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees after half the baking time). Buns should be golden brown, firm to the touch, and show no translucency if pulled apart.

Baked Sticky Buns

To turn buns out, line baking sheet with parchment paper and place in reach.

Remove muffin pan from oven, and immediately turn buns out (away from you) onto prepared baking sheet, before caramel hardens. Shake pan gently, if they don't release (if that doesn't help, loosen buns with a knife).

Turn buns out onto parchment lined baking sheet

Scrape out any caramel syrup sticking to pan, and drizzle over buns.

Serve warm. 

Sticky Buns taste best when fresh, but you can wrap them in plastic (when cooled), and keep for 1 day at room temperature. To serve, nuke a few seconds, or briefly warm them up in the oven at 400ºF/200ºC.

Sleepy Sunday for Ruffi

The scrumptuous rolls were my contribution to Zorra's BBD #81 (hosted by Sandra From Snuggs-Kitchen), with the motto: "Around the World"

American sticky buns for breakfast!


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

(UN)GLAZED CINNAMON ROLLS

Hier geht's zur deutschen Version dieses Posts (folgt noch)















Fellow baker Hanaâ instigated me to buy yet another baking book - as if my bookshelves were not already buckling down under the weight of my cooking library. She invited me to join her ABC baking challenge, every month trying out a new recipe, currently from Abby Dodge's: "The Weekend Baker".

My husband loves sticky buns and their sugar laden relatives, but, though I like cinnamon, I was never very fond of the overly sweet stuff, he would sometimes buy. Therefore, without Hanaâ's challenge, I would probably never have thought of baking cinnamon rolls.

What I especially like about "The Weekend Baker" and this recipe, are the several "do ahead" options. I prefer working with slow fermentation, and most doughs show their appreciation for the cold treatment with a significant better taste, so, after a 30-minute rise, I put my my dough to sleep in the fridge overnight.

I always try to incorporate some whole grains in my recipes, a substitution of 10% white flour with whole grains doesn't require additional liquid, so I replaced 47 g of all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour.

The recipe was easy to follow, and the next morning the dough had nicely risen in the fridge. I rolled it out cold - it will come to room temperature quickly - and the filling was no problem, either. Next time I probably would add some toasted, chopped nuts, though.

Cutting a roll of dough in even slices with a bench scraper or knife is not that easy, the layers slipping away over the crumbly filling. Using dental floss, as Hanaâ suggested, works much better.

I skipped glazing the rolls, nice as it looks, it adds even more sugar, without contributing to the taste. And even without this decoration - the cinnamon rolls looked beautiful when they came out of the oven and their wonderful aroma filled the whole house, so that I could hardly wait to try one until they had cooled down a bit.

"... now I know their taste - now I'm a believer..." you don't have to be a Monkee to love these treats!
I am converted, and my husband could wallow in them, so good are they!

They, also, freeze well, wrapped in plastic foil and then placed in a ziplock bag. To enjoy them you only have to nuke them for a few seconds, and then re-crisp them at 350ºF/175ºC for a few minutes in the oven.

I can only encourage everybody to purchase Abby Dodge's "The Weekend Baker" - I got it, used, at amazon. But, if you would like to bake the cinnamon rolls, and don't have the book, Abby posted the recipe in Cookstr http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/glazed-cinnamon-rolls-2

And if you would like to join the ABC challenge - Hanaâ will be happy to welcome you (if you are not a jerk!)