[ simply sinful ]

IMAGINE WAKING up on Christmas morning to warm cinnamon buns....mmm...
These buns are pretty easy to make - they're the first thing I ever baked using yeast and if you've never baked with yeast, after you try these you'll wonder why - it's not that scary!

Lisa's sinful cinnamon buns
These easy buns can be made using a bread machine or without. You can assemble them the night before and then just bake them in the morning. Or make them in advance and freeze for a real time-saver. The cream cheese icing makes these so yummy. Makes 12 buns.

what you need:

dough:
1 cup warm milk (about 110 degrees F)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast (or 8g packet of dry active yeast if not using bread machine)

filling:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

icing:
1 (3oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

how to:

with a bread machine:
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle, press Start. Proceed to step 2.

without a bread machine (by hand or Kitchenaid):
Heat oven to 200F then turn it off. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes until it gets foamy (use your Kitchenaid bowl if using). Stir in the butter, salt, vanilla and eggs. Add flour a bit at a time and mix. Use dough hook on Kitchenaid to knead about 4 minutes (or knead by hand).

Knead the dough into a ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour or cooking spray. Put in a large bowl, cover with a moist tea towel and let rise in warmed oven about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

2. After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover again and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, work together brown sugar, softened butter and cinnamon into a paste (this will help it to adhere to the inside of the bun and not seep out to the bottom of the pan).

3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with paste.

Roll up dough tightly and cut into 12 buns.

Place buns in a lightly greased 9x13 inch glass baking pan, or 2-9x9 inch square pans. Cover and let rise a bit, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (180C).

4. Bake buns in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

While buns are baking, make icing by beating together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, icing sugar, vanilla and salt (it may seem too thick but keep beating until it turns silky).

Remove buns from oven and let cool slightly. Spread frosting on warm buns before serving.

if making for breakfast:
After cutting and putting buns into the pan, cover and let sit for about 30 minutes and then cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge overnight. In the morning, remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. Cool slightly and spread with icing.

if freezing:
Unbaked buns freeze well (use 2-8 inch square foil pans and put 6 buns in each pan). The night before baking, remove pan from freezer and put into the fridge. In the morning, they're ready for the oven. Don't worry if they don't look risen enough before baking - they will rise in the oven. Freeze icing in 2 small Ziploc freezer bags and defrost one in the fridge overnight. Spread on warm buns.

Or, freeze baked, iced cinnamon buns. Then you can pop them out of the freezer, put them in the microwave and they'll taste fresh from the oven! Or freeze individually for a single treat. Yum!!

lisa

linked to recipe swap sundays @ remodelaholic