Cinnamon Buns

WARNING: The following recipe is so good it will make you completely forget that copious amounts of butter are not good for you. 

I love Cinnamon buns in the morning.  But I HATE mornings.  So my favorite thing about this recipe is that you can make and assemble everything the night before, pop them in the fridge overnight, and bake them in the morning.  Your house will be filling with the comforting smell of cinnamon as you sip your morning coffee. What is better than that?

For the dough:

• 1 scant Tbsp yeast (I use quick-rise instant yeast and then cut both of the rising times listed below in half)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of boiling water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 cups flour

Put yeast in the bowl of your stand mixer with a pinch of sugar.  Combine the milk and boiling water and pour the warm mixture over the yeast.  Wait a few minutes for yeast to grow and bubble.

To the yeast mixture, add sugar, melted butter, salt and egg.  Add 2 cups of flour.  Beat until smooth.

Add remaining flour.  Using your stand mixer's dough hook (or your hands, on a floured countertop)  knead the dough until it is smooth and sticky.  Cover dough and let rise for 1 hour. 

Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured counter until it is a 1/4 inch thick rectangle.  Spread with:

• 1/4 cup melted butter

and then sprinkle with,

• 1/2 cup sugar mixed with 4 tsp cinnamon

 Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the dough away from you, creating a long log filled with yummy-ness.  Seal the seam by wetting your finger tips and pinching the dough closed.

Coat your baking pan with 1/4 cup of melted butter and then sprinkle that butter with 2 Tbsp of sugar.

Slice your cinnamon log into one and a half inch slices.  Place spirals in greased and sugared pan, with ample room around each spiral so it can rise some more (no two cinnamon buns should be touching at this point).

Let rise another 45 minutes.

***At this point you can cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature while the oven preheats.***

Bake @ 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes until slightly browned and dough is cooked through.  Remove to a wire rack as soon as they are cool enough to touch. (but not completely cooled!)

Place wire rack over a piece of wax paper (to catch the drips) and top cinnamon buns with a glaze made by combining:

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• enough hot water to create desired consistency

Eat one warm before the rest of the family knows they are ready or else you might not get one at all...