Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting
Welcome to your true test of self-control.
Overall, this recipe makes great cinnamon buns. They’re light, fluffy and not overly sweet! The frosting is as close as I could get to everybody’s local cinnamon bun shop (for now) - either way, I could eat this by the bucket. If you aren’t a fan of cream cheese frosting, you can easily swap it for a royal icing, but I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.
This recipe calls for yeast - it’s not quick, but it is easy and low-impact. I do hope you won’t shy away from using yeast. I will admit, there is a bit of a learning curve to getting it right everytime, but once you do it’s not hard. I’ve shared my learning below, I hope they help. You can get through this one will a little hope and a lot of frosting!
This recipe works best as a tray bake in a 9x9 pan. If you do choose to make these as stand alone buns, proof them farther apart so they don’t touch and make sure you apply a little egg wash and firmly pinch the end of the roll into the dough to make sure it doesn’t unravel in the oven. If it does? Cut them up, call them cinnamon curly fries and serve with warm cream cheese dipping sauce!
Proofing times. The proofing time for this dough is between 1 and 1.5 hours. I normally reach the hour mark. Proofing will depend on how active your yeast is and how warm it is in your kitchen. Warmer temps help dough proof quicker but if your yeast is a little older, it may be a little less active and rise more slowly. If your yeast is a little less active, you can easily add a bit more to help it out a little (don’t add too much, otherwise the dough may rise too quickly). I normally check my dough around the 45 minute mark. Checking it early helps make sure the dough doesn’t over proof. Once dough is over proofed it ends up tough and can be sour - there is a way to save over proofed dough, unfortunately not with this recipe because of the filling. You’ve only got one shot, one opportunity… but seriously don’t worry about that, if you check the dough early-on you can easily avoid over proofing.
Don’t forget to pre-heat your oven part-way through your proofing to make sure it’s ready to go as soon as your dough is done proofing - there’s no grace period here.
How to tell when it’s done - Just poke it! After about 45 minutes, gently poke your dough. You’re aiming to make a dent here, but not do any damage. If the dough bounces back quickly, the yeast is still working and needs a bit more time. If the dent springs back slowly, leaving a small indent when it’s done “bouncing back”, they’re ready. Think memory foam as it springs back into shape (slow). If you poke the dough and it deflates further or the mark stays put without any bounce back, the dough is over proofed. I’d recommend still baking it, there’s a chance it will still turn out - and it not, it’s a great learning opportunity to get to know you dough.
To help a little, the photos below are pre and post proof.
Frosting. You want your cream cheese and butter at the same temperature when you mix them together, otherwise it may be chunky. Wait to the very end to add the lemon, I know, weird, but just try it. Add the lemon a little at a time, mixing between each addition.
If your frosting splits, you can easily save it by heating up a small portion and adding it back into the main mix. Stir constantly and it should smooth out in no time. Frosting can split for many reasons - fat content, temperature, etc.
Cinnamon Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer (flour, sugar, salt, yeast) and mix with fork to distribute ingredients.
- Melt butter, combine with warm water and milk. This mix should be warm, but not boiling, aim for around 105°F (ish). If you don't own a kitchen thermometer, the liquid should be warm to the touch.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix on low until the dough starts to come together.
- Add egg and increase mixer speed to medium, mixing until dough starts to pull away from the edges.
- Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead for about 4-5 minutes until you have a smooth dough ball. You may need to add a bit more flour as you go.
- Put dough aside in a bowl and cover to proof for 15 minutes.
- While the dough rests, mix all cinnamon filling ingredients together to form a smooth paste.
- Roll out dough into a 9x13 inch rectangle (approx.)
- Spread filling in an even layer on the dough, bringing it as far to the edges as you can.
- Once you're happy with your filling layer, start rolling the dough into a tight roll.
- Trim the edges to create even ends and remove any dough that doesn't have filling.
- Cut into 9 even pieces, normally about 1 inch thick. This will produce medium-sized rolls.
- In your 9X9 baking pan, place the rolls about 1 inch apart. Cover and leave to proof for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check your dough at the 45 minutes mark to track progress. Your dough is proofed when you can poke the dough and it bounces back slowly, leaving a small dent.
- Part-way through your proof, pre-heat your over to 350°F (give yourself enough time for your oven to fully pre-heat).
- Bake for 30 minutes. Part-way through, if you notice your top getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil for the rest of the bake time to stop it from browning too much.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, ice while warm.
- Cream together butter and cream cheese.
- Once combined, add the icing sugar, mix to combine.
- Add vanilla and lemon, mix to combine (important to do this at the end).
Notes:
Oven temperatures can vary. Some ovens fluctuate in temperature and may not reach the set temp. An easy fix for this is to pick up an in-oven thermometer to make sure your oven's reached temp. It's always a good idea to keep an eye on your bake when trying out a new recipe. I like to set my timer for 10 minutes before the set time just to check.
Proofing your dough. Dough will proof at different times depending on the environment and how active your yeast is. To check your dough is done proofing, poke the dough and wait for it to bounce back slowly, leaving behind a small dent (think memory foam). If you poke your dough and it bounces back quickly. it's not done yet. If you poke the dough and it deflates or the dent stays, it's over proofed.
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This is a collection of my go-to recipes, tips to help you on your baking journey and some projects to inspire you to create your own beautiful, delicious desserts.
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