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I think my children love me just a little bit more now that I have baked these. The buns are made with brioche dough and layered with cinnamon sugar and just a touch of zest, whats not to love? You can add more to the mix, like nuts, raisins, a dash of cardamom, or just leave them simple. The cream cheese icing is the crowning glory and makes these breakfast treats completely addictive. I ended up making two batches this weekend, because of the demand and how easy they are to throw together.
In this recipe I have only made 4 rather large buns, but feel free to double or triple the batch.
Cinnamon Buns:
1 pound Brioche dough (page 189 ABin5
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoon butter, melted
Cream Cheese Icing:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange zest
Here is the secret to getting the right texture for the buns. You need to fold the dough over a few times and get that gluten all linked up and excited. This happens naturally with the master recipe, but all the butter in the brioche can stand in the way, so we need to give it a little help. Just 3 or 4 turns will do the trick, an extra 30 seconds of work will make all the difference.
Now that we have the gluten all excited and bunched up we need to give it a rest or it will be impossible to roll out. This may take 15-20 minutes. If your kitchen is warmer, it may go faster.
Once the dough is ready, roll it to 1/4-inch thick rectangle.
Brush the melted butter onto the entire surface.
In a small bowl mix together the sugars, cinnamon and zest. Spread the mixture over the butter topped dough. Use your hands to make sure you have an even coat of the sugar.
Roll the dough up, starting at the short end.
Use a Bread Knife
Set the buns on a parchment lined Sheet Pan
Loosely cover the buns and let them rest between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The long rest will insure that you have a fluffy bun.(You can set these up the night before and let them rest overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning take them out and let them sit on the counter for about 45 minutes to an hour.) You may get away with slightly shorter rise, but the buns will not be quite as soft.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, just until the centers are set when poked with your finger.
They should be caramel colored. Let them cool for about 10 minutes.
Mix together the ingredients for the icing and spread over the warm buns. Enjoy!
Hi Zoe and Jeff,
I was really excited to make your Cinnamon Rolls with the Brioche recipe but I think I may have done a couple things wrong. I made only half of the recipe (enough for 2 1lb loaves) but I also used King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour. I let the dough rise the first time for 2 hours the recipe said and then refridgerated for 2 days. Once I did all the butter, cinnamon, sugar roll up and cutting part, I let the rolls rise for another hour. I baked them for 30 minutes. They looked and smelled delicious but when we tried them, they had a weird aftertaste. What did I do wrong? Wrong amount of whole wheat flour? Too short of a cooking time? Any help to fix this would be wonderful because my poor kids (and me of course) really wanted to eat them today but they tasted too yucky. Thanks for your help and the other doughs I’ve tried were great (challah and boule).
Oh and all the ingredients were fresh. I had gotten the flour earlier that week.
Jill: First off, you can’t just swap out WWW for AP; they don’t measure the same and don’t absorb the same amount of water. And of course, the flavor’s totally different– and you’re saying the flavor’s not what you expected. Which of our brioche recipes are you using so we can help you figure out next step (which book, page number)?
If it’s a yeast smell, try a lower-yeast version, like 1 tablespoon, or even less (but don’t let eggy doughs sit at room temp for longer than 2 hours; into the fridge for the rest of the rise). That may be what you’re perceiving, see http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2007/12/19/low-yeast-version-of-our-master-recipe Only difference, again, is that slower/longer rise needs to be managed a little more carefully when you’re dealing with eggs.
I am so amazed at your quick response! Thank you! I used the recipe in your Artisan Bread book on page 187. I think you’re right that it may be a combination of both the flour and that I let the eggy dough stay out for awhile. I remember seeing something now that gave ratios for all the different kinds of flours if you were going to change them out but I can’t remember where I saw it (the book or on the website). Thanks Jeff. I will try again adjusting these things and let you know how it goes!
I have made these Cinnamon Buns numerous times with the Brioche recipe – AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing!
I was wondering what you might think about freezing these buns pre-made?
Casey: You can, but wrap them well, or find an airtight container. It’s OK, but don’t expect them to be as sublime as the fresh version– try to avoid using the microwave to re-heat…
I cannot get the Gluten Free Brioche dough to turn out…it always comes out runny and I end up throwing the paste away. I need help!…by the way I have to use rice milk instead of dairy milk… do I need to adjust the amount of liquid? or should I substitute the oil for a solid shortening/margarine? Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
Allison: Flours aren’t standardized yet… just increase the flour(s) until you have something workable. And don’t make the swap that you are doing– that alone might be the problem.
Which is preferred: the cinnamon rolls as these buns or as the crescent rolls? I have made these ones multiple times but I was thinking of switching to the crescent rolls from ABin5 to mix it up a little. I would plan on using the same sugars-cinnamon-orange zest filling and orange cream cheese frosting. Thoughts?
Seth: The crescents have a little more crust as opposed to chewy center, because the tips expose the dough with more surface area. Depends on what you’re looking for? Try it, just for the change.
I have made these several times with the whole wheat brioche recipe in your Healthy Breads book. They come out wonderful! Love the heartier texture. I actually prefer it to the AP version. Delicious!
great Becky, thanks for letting us know!
I love this recipe so much! I have made it several times without fail. I love to bake and have made many cinnamon buns but my family loves this recipe. I have now purchased the book and look forward to trying some of the other recipes.
Hi Larcher,
Thanks for the note, we’re thrilled you are enjoying the rolls!
Cheers, Zoë
We loved the brioche swirl buns with chocolate ganache, we are so hooked! Will try this one next. Btw, I just received Healthy Bread in 5 min a day, still can’t believe how easy it is to bake fresh bread. Thanks!
You guys saved me! I totally forgot that I was supposed to bring something to the Mardi Gras lunch today, when I realized I had a full recipe of dough in the fridge. These cinnamon rolls were a huge hit. After I frosted them, I sprinkled them with purple, green and yellow sugar. Thank you!
Hi Lisa,
That is fantastic! Thanks for the note and enjoy!
Cheers, Zoë
I am using the whole wheat brioche dough and am wondering what the rise time on these would be. Should i try to go longer than 2 hours? Also will the baking instruction 350 degrees for 25 min stay the same?
Octo: should be able to go the same, if it’s not baking through go a little longer
Thanks Jeff and Zoe love all your books, I let them rise for about 3 hours didn’t rise much in the pan but I baked them and they came up big, fluffy, and light. I think I like them better with the whole wheat brioche than the regular. Yay for healthier cinnamon rolls!
Great!