I’m not one to get easily annoyed. Most things roll off me pretty easily, and I consider myself fairly patient. As a parent, for instance, I can handle whining, complaining, puking, sniffing, questioning and crying without batting an eye or letting my blood pressure rise. But the second you introduce a cough? I become downright murderous.
One of my darling children had a cough that lasted no less than 3 weeks, and we all barely escaped with our lives. There is something about the wind-up breathing, the persistence through conversations, the “covering arm” held as far as can be away from the actual mouth expelling germs, and the night disturbance that drive me absolutely to the brink. As a kid, I had a perpetual cough for probably at least a year before I got allergy testing and we were able to solve the problem, and I seriously don’t know how my parents didn’t kill me. There is nothing I find as annoying as another person’s cough, and no amount of reasoning can make me less annoyed. I will break out any amount of medicine, in combination with drinks, smelly chest rubs, or anything else I can think of to MAKE IT STOP.
I feel a little better getting that admission off my chest.
Calm enough, even, to talk about cinnamon buns, a food with the most calming of calming effects, one which everyone should make when they have a kid (or spouse, or co-worker, or neighbour) with a cough and want to do something with their hands to avoid strangulation. Those are the times I make cinnamon buns, and they haven’t failed me yet.
My mom made this adaptation of my Peach Crumble Cinnamon Rolls for times when peaches aren’t in season or you just want a plain, classic cinnamon bun, and they are PERFECT. If you haven’t tried the peach version, you don’t know how easy this dough is that you’re missing out on. Mixed in a Dutch oven pan, with yeast AND baking powder and baking soda involved, this is a unique, quick way to make cinnamon buns that taste every bit as fluffy and yeasty as any cinnamon bun you could ever ask for. They’re also perfect for making ahead, as you can leave them in the fridge overnight and make fresh cinnamon buns in no time on any morning that needs a little touch of special.
I have such a weakness for fresh homemade yeast breads and buns, and cinnamon buns are at the absolute top of the weakness list. It’s a good thing for my waistline that we don’t get coughs too often and I’m too lazy to make them every weekend, because I can polish them off with astonishing skill. If you need a perfect cinnamon bun recipe in your life, or have never made them before and want to take the plunge, look no further.
- DOUGH:
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast (about 2¼ teaspoons)
- About 4½ cups of flour, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ⅓ cup (5 Tablespoons) butter, melted and divided
- FILLING:
- 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- GLAZE:
- 1 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- Splash of vanilla
- FOR DOUGH: Heat the milk, oil, and sugar in a large saucepan (like a Dutch oven) over medium heat to just below a boil (small bubbles beginning to rise but not fully boiling). Set aside and cool until you can touch it comfortably, about 105 degrees F. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute. (Don't rush the cooling as too much heat will kill the yeast!)
- Add 4 cups of the flour to the saucepan. Stir until just combined, then cover with a lid (or a piece of plastic wrap if your pan doesn’t have a lid), and set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, remove the lid and stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and remaining ½ cup flour.
- At this point, you can proceed with making the rolls immediately, OR cover the dough and refrigerate it to use the next morning, OR fully prep the rolls and put them in the fridge overnight to bake the next day.
- To go ahead with making them, let the dough rest for 15 minutes while you prep the filling and pans. Grease 2 pie plates, or 2 8×8-inch square baking pans.
- FOR FILLING:
- Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- TO ASSEMBLE the rolls: remove half the dough from the pot. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle, about 12 inches x 8 inches. Brush dough with half of the melted butter, then sprinkle with half the brown sugar mixture, leaving a 1 inch border around all sides.
- Beginning at the long end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you, finishing seam side down. Tuck in the ends, slice the dough into 8-10 equal slices and arrange cut-sides-up in one of the prepared pans. Set aside and repeat the process with the remaining half of dough and place those sliced rolls in the remaining pan.
- Allow rolls to rest for 15 minutes, or as long as it takes your oven to preheat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before stirring glaze ingredients together and drizzling over the warm rolls.
Can I make this recipe with quick rise yeast? How much would I use and when would I add it? TIA!
Yes you can! Just add it in with the flour instead of letting it sit on top of the liquid for a minute. Use the same amount :)
No, I can’t handle puking, especially in tiny people. The only exception is when it is contained in a pail/bowl. I also can’t stand one of my kids being a constant snuffleupagus and snorting it up. Drives me nuts. But then, I have to suction yellow/green snot out of a trach, and that can get gross.
I need to try this because squishy cinnamon buns are the best, and this is a batch that fits in my oven. I can not fit a 9×13 pan in my 40 year old wall oven.
Anyway, I got totally distracted…came here to find one of your recipes I have tried to make today. LOL.
Growing up with memories of cinnamon buns, I’m afraid I would eat them all. The smell alone gets me started. (I hear ya on the coughing).
Cinnamon rolls always remind me of growing up! These look fantastic!
And oh gosh yes – coughing drives me nuts!!
oh Anna, this made me laugh a lot! I had asthma as a child and I don’t know how my incessant coughing didn’t drive my mother nuts. ;)
I’m glad you got a quiet moment or two sans coughing around to make these cinnamon buns. They look amazing!
Please rescue me from my gluten-free dungeon, so that I can make (and eat ALL of) these cinnamon buns!!! They look soooooo darn good.
And I’m totally with you on the coughing thing. Nothing more annoying than someone else’s cough. Ha!
Those cinnamon buns look to-die-for! I can almost smell them as I type this :)
These look so scrumptious! I’m swooning. They’re soooo fluffy. I definitely need to give the peach crumble rolls a try too, they look heavenly!!
Oh man, coughing bothers me so much too, especially when coming from a little kid! I would much rather eat a bunch of warm cinnamon rolls! :)