Yummy Malaysiana: Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon Buns

Mm, what can I say. Im not a fan of eating bread but I like making them. Or at least I like the part where a few simple ingredients can grow and proof to become double its size. I can pretend to like, or at least try to like bread but me and bread are definitely not the best match. I dont hate, nor dislike, but its just not a first choice.

But still, sometimes, I may run-over an interesting recipe and decide to make it. Especially when I have nieces (age 4+ and 7) coming back every weekend and ask me what were making today. And if they wanna get their hands dirty either by making cookies, or stirring stuffs or sprinkling or cutting things, I can, at the very least, make something for them to play with.

I came across this recipe the first day (which actually was many many months ago) I had the book (Peter Reinharts artisan breads everyday.) I literally marked it and knew I would have to make it, one day or another. And also, cause I have a kickass island counter, that I can roll out a strudel dough without any problems. Tee hee. The recipe stated that I need to refrigerate the dough at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible. So I made it on Friday night(they usually come on Friday night after their school), so they can do their thing on Saturday morning.(Im a pretty awesome aunt, right? hahaha)

Ah, just be prepared, there are ALOT of step by step pics for this one.

When youve got some extra pair of hands, taking step-by-step photos just come in very handy

Cinnamon Buns
(adapted from Peter Reinharts Artisan Breads Every Day)
(makes 24 pcs)
Ingredients
6 1/4 (750g) all purpose flour (I used 50-50 bread flour and low protein flour)
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp sugar
5 tsp instant yeast
500ml lukewarm milk
113g vegetable oil or melted butter
zest of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp cinnamon powder
150g sugar
melted butter, for brushing
1 cup raisins *optional
1 cup chopped walnuts *optional
Chocolate chips *optional
Method (pictorial guide):
Method:
1. Combine flour, salt, sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk the yeast into the milk until dissolved. Pour mixture into dry ingredients along with oil / melted butter and lemon zest. Use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 30 secs to 1 min. It will form to a soft, coarse ball.
2. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium-low speed for 4 minutes. Adding flour or milk as needed to create a smooth, soft and slightly sticky ball of dough.
3. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2m ins or more until dough is supple and tacky but not sticky. (like the back of a post-it note)
4. Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly oiled bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size. Cover the bowl lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 4 days.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 3 hours before you plan to bake. Divide the dough in halgf and form each into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 20 mins.
6. On a floured work surface, roll each ball of dough to 12 x 16 rectangle. If the dough starts to resist or shrink back, let it rest for 1 minute then continue rolling. Dough should be between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick.
7. Make cinnamon sugar by whisking cinnamon into sugar. Prepare other fillings if you wish, like toasting nuts and cutting them into smaller pieces. I used walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips.
8. Brush the surface of the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinamon sugar. Sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts, or if any. Roll up the dough from the bottom to the top to form a tight log.
9. Cut the log into 1-inch thick slices and place them! on a sh eet pan or baking pans. Mist the top with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let it rise to room temp, for about 2 hours or until dough expands into each other.
10. Preheat oven 15 mins prior to baking to 177 C. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, until the buns are rich golden brown.
11. Serve hot!