I can honestly say that cinnamon buns are one of my favorite foods ever!!! Yes, this statement required three exclamation points. Bring on the cinnamon buns, cinnamon rolls and cinnamon twists. I love them all. I’m especially fond of this recipe because it never disappoints. The brioche dough is soft, fluffy and easy to work with. I love that it contains cornstarch, which is a decades old secret to tender dough. I chose this recipe to share with you because you’ll have a very high chance of success with it. Yeast can be moody, but she’s always in a good mood when I make these buns.
I topped these cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing, but you can top them with fruit, nuts, honey or a simple vanilla glaze instead. They’re amazing topped with peaches and cream too.
| Servings |
cinnamon buns
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- 3/4 cup whole milk, warm (105º to 110ºF)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast *I used Saf Gold instant yeast
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 4 3/4 cups (21 ounces) all purpose flour, sifted
- scant 1/2 cup (2 ounces) corn starch (Scant means a little less than.)
- 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 3/4 cups (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed, softened
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups (9 3/8 ounces) brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon **I used King Arthur Vietnamese cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract ***I used Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon whole milk, room temperature
Ingredients
Brioche Dough
Filling
Cream Cheese Icing
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- In a small bowl, whisk warm milk and yeast together. Whisk in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt on low speed until combined.
- Keeping mixer at low speed, gradually add milk mixture. Continue mixing on low until dough comes together.
- Increase speed to medium. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding more.
- Continue mixing on medium speed until dough is smooth and stretches easily, about 10 minutes.
- Shape dough into a ball and transfer to a large oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2-2 hours.
- Line a 9"x13" pan with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12"x 16" rectangle.
- Spread softened butter evenly onto dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over butter.
- Starting at a long end, roll dough tightly into a log. Trim off 1/2 inch of uneven ends.
- With seam side down, slice log into 12 equal sections or 9 equal sections for large buns. Place rolls in prepared baking pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise again in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 350ºF. Remove plastic wrap. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool 20 minutes. Top with cream cheese icing.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
- Add vanilla bean paste and salt. Beat until combined.
- Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
- Beat in milk, a little at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
*To find the yeast I used, click here.
**To find the cinnamon I used, click here.
***To find the vanilla bean paste I used, click here.
To find the baking pan I used, click here.