The dish with the cinnamon buns // Easy cinnamon bun recipe for any time of the day

This easy-to-prepare recipe takes me back to a childhood memory where I barely got a look in due to other family members scoffing these before I was even in the kitchen. Whether you choose to ice or not is up to you, however a touch of lemon really lifts them and cuts through the richness.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

- 240ml warm milk (45°C)

- 75g granulated sugar

- 115g unsalted butter, softened

- 2 large eggs

- 500g plain flour

- ½ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

- 150g light brown sugar

- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

- 55g unsalted butter, softened

For the cream cheese icing:

- 120g cream cheese, softened

- 55g unsalted butter, softened

- 125g icing sugar

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-Rind of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Prepare the dough:

- In a small bowl, combine the warm milk and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the mixture, stirring gently, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, until frothy.

- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, eggs, and yeast mixture. Mix well.

- Gradually add the flour and salt via a sieve to the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft dough forms.

- Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it prove in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

At this point, preheat the oven. Dependant on what oven you have, it should only take 20-30 minutes to preheat.

2. Make the filling:

- In a small bowl, mix together the light brown sugar and ground cinnamon. A touch of lemon rind is lovely too here.

3. Roll and fill the dough:

- Punch down the risen dough and roll it out into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Remember when rolling to not rock back and forth in one spot as the thickness will vary. Be consistent in one direction.

- Spread the softened butter over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly.

- Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal slices.

4. Baking the cinnamon buns:

- Place the cinnamon bun slices in a greased baking tin, leaving a bit of space between each bun for them to expand

- Cover the tin with a damp cloth and let the buns prove for an additional 30 minutes.

- Bake the cinnamon buns for 20-25 minutes at 180C or until they are golden brown.

5. Prepare the cream cheese icing:

- In a mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.

- Add icing sugar and vanilla extract, and continue to beat until the icing is creamy and well combined.

6. Glaze the buns:

- Once the cinnamon buns are out of the oven and slightly cooled, spread the cream cheese icing over them.

7. Serve and enjoy:

- Allow the buns to cool a bit more before serving.

Enjoy your homemade cinnamon buns!

Feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste and preferences.

Buon appétito!

Ciao

The Flaky Boy