Overnight cinnamon buns with maple cream cheese glaze
MAKES 12 BUNS
Nothing beats the smell of cinnamon buns filling the kitchen in the morning. These are perfect with a hot coffee after a morning walk!
I’ll whip them up the day before if I have friends staying over. Leaving the cinnamon buns to have their second prove in the fridge overnight allows the yeast to develop more, giving an even deeper flavour. But, of course, they can be made, baked and eaten the very same day! Spreading the cream cheese glaze over the buns while they’re still warm is essential, as this is what gives them their sticky texture, even once they’ve completely cooled. These are probably the most technical bake in the book, but perhaps the most special.
225ml milk
1 tbsp active dried yeast
90g granulated sugar,
plus 1 tbsp extra
550g strong white bread flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or use vanilla extract)
2 large eggs
75g butter, melted
FILLING
6 tbsp butter, at room
temperature
180g brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
120g cream cheese
3 tbsp butter, at room
temperature
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or use
vanilla extract)
4 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch of salt
1 Gently warm the milk in a pan until it’s bath-water warm, then pour into a jug and add the yeast and the tablespoon of sugar. Stir to mix, then leave to activate for 5 minutes or until it goes foamy.
2 Put the flour, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the 90g granulated sugar, vanilla, eggs and melted butter, then pour this into the bowl of flour along with the activated yeast milk. Mix with a spoon until a dough forms.
3 Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until a smooth dough is formed and the dough is no longer sticky. Transfer this dough to a clean and lightly oiled bowl, then cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Grease and line a 30cm x 20cm baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
4 Without disturbing the risen dough too much, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a large rectangle, about 40cm x 60cm. Spread the softened butter all over the dough rectangle, leaving an unbuttered 1cm border on all sides. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle all over the dough, using your fingers to press it into the butter.
5 Starting at a long edge, tightly roll the dough up like a Swiss roll, pinching at the end to seal and keep a tight roll. Use a very sharp knife to score, then cut the roll into 12 slices, each about 4cm thick. Trim off any loose ends.
6 Place the rolls in the greased baking tray, cover tightly with cling film and place in the fridge overnight or for at least 12 hours.
7 When you are ready to bake, remove the cinnamon rolls from the fridge, uncover and allow to come to room temperature for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 200°C.
8 Bake for 20-25 minutes or until starting to turn golden around the edges and the dough is firm to touch and hollow when tapped with a wooden spoon.
9 To make the cream cheese glaze, combine all the ingredients with a hand-held electric whisk in a small bowl.
10 Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven and while they are still warm and in the baking tray, generously spread the glaze over the top. Enjoy warm or keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.