Scandi Kitchen Cinnamon Buns

These cinnamon buns are so soft, so gorgeously doughy and so unbelievably full of cinnamony goodness that you won't want to look at any other cinnamon bun recipe ever again. I had my first ever cinnamon bun at the Scandi Kitchen on Great Titchfield Street about a year ago, and haven't looked back since. It was one of those wonderfully shameless moments where I stood a few meters from the door (having stopped in my tracks on taking first bite) and scoffed the whole thing. No, this is not a save it for later kind of bun. 

Bronte, owner and magical force behind the Scandi Kitchen, released her first recipe book earlier this year which I of course pounced on immediately. The cinnamon bun recipe is beautifully presented inside and is thankfully now attainable for us mere home bakers! I rolled my buns a little tight as I was having too much fun with the dough rolling process, but it would be best to have a less tight roll with larger, doughier swirls. I ate four of these in one sitting. Beware, it's a dangerous game. Get in there before the January diet starts!

I can warn you now, this won't be the last you'll see from Scandi Kitchen recipes on Notes of Bacon...

Real Cinnamon Buns

Recipe is from the Scandi Kitchen cookbook by Bronte Aurell

Quantities: Makes 16 buns

Timings: About 1 1/2 hours

Kitchen Stuff: 2 baking sheets, baking parchment, mixer with dough hook (or you can mix and knead by hand), mixing bowl, spatula

Ingredients:

Dough:

13g / 2 1/2 tsp dried/active dry yeast or 25g fresh yeast

250ml/ 1 cup whole milk, heated to 36-37 degrees C

80g/ 3/4 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled

40g / 3 tbsp caster sugar

400-500g / 3-3.5 cups strong white bread flour

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp salt

1 egg, beaten

Filling:

80g/ 3/4 stick butter, room temperature

1 tsp plain flour

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla sugar (I used 1/4tsp vanilla essence)

80g / 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

egg, for brushing (you can use remaining egg from the dough)

Topping:

Syrup (I used maple)

Nibbed 'pearl' sugar or chopped, toasted nuts

Method:

DOUGH 1: Pour the warm milk into a bowl, sprinkle in the yeast and whisk together. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 15 minutes to become bubbly. 

Pour into the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook. Start the machine and add the cooled, melted butter. Allow to combine with the yeast for a minute or so, then add the sugar. Allow to combine for one minute.

*If you're using fresh yeast, add the warm milk to a mixing bowl and add the yeast, stir until dissolved, then pour into the bowl of the food mixer.

DOUGH 2: In a separate bowl, weigh out 400g / 3 cups of the flour, add the cardamom and salt and mix together. Start adding the flour and spices into the milk mixture, bit by bit. Add half the beaten egg, keep kneading for 5 minutes. You may need to add more flour - you want the mixture to end up a bit sticky, but not so much that it sticks to your fingers if you poke it. It is better not to add too much flour as this will result in dry buns. You can always add more later.

Once mixed, leave the dough in a bowl and cover with a dish towel or clingfilm. Allow to rise for around 30 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. 

My dough once doubled in size, pre-rolling

Prepare your 2 baking sheets - we want them greased and lined with baking parchment.

KNEAD & ROLL: Dust the table top with flour and turn out the dough. Knead the dough with your hands and work in more flour if needed. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 40 x 50 cm / 16 x 20 in rectangle. 

CINNAMON MIX: In a bowl, add the butter, spices and sugars and mix together well. Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly over the rolled-out dough. Carefully roll the dough lengthwise into a long roll, using a sharp knife, cut 16 slices.

PROVE IT: Place the swirls on the prepared baking sheets (not too close together as they will rise further). Leave to prove under a clean dish towel for 30 minutes. 

Preheat your oven to 200C (400F)/ Gas 6

BAKE 'EM: Brush each bun lightly with beaten egg and pop the buns into the preheated oven to bake for around 10-12 minutes. Watch the buns as they bake; they can go dark very quickly and you may also need to move the buns around in the oven if they are not baking evenly. 

Whilst the buns are baking, warm up a little syrup.

DEVOUR: When golden, remove them from the oven. Brush the buns lightly with warmed syrup then decorate with the nibbed 'pearl' sugar or chopped, toasted nuts. Immediately place a damp, clean dish towel on top for a few minutes to prevent the buns from going dry. Enjoy!