"CINNA BUNS ARE DA BOMB"

I have become a huge fan of The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart. There is a blogger's group called the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. They are challenging themselves to work through the book and bake every recipe in it. My days are too hectic to follow the Challenge, but i do manage to knock out a few now and then. I bake like a madwoman, I forget to blog about it. I guess I am more of a baker than a blogger - oh well. Here is a link so you can check out BBA Challenge blog: Pinch My Salt http://pinchmysalt.com/the-bba-challenge/


My son's GF, "HHH" asked for cinnamon rolls the other evening. Hubby had taken on a rare night shift and I couldn't sleep alone, so..... I rousted myself and began an all night bake-a-thon. I made the Pate Fermentee for Italian Bread, and Ciabatta (more on that later!), and also the dough for the cinna buns, working until around 4 am. By 7 am when my offspring were rising for school, they had fresh cinna buns. Too bad I didn't realize we hadn't enough powdered sugar for the glaze. They ate one anyway. It was okay. After I glazed and glazed again, I finally got the thumbs up - "da bomb".

Cinnamon Buns
adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
Makes 8-12 large or 12-16 smaller rolls

6 1/2 T sugar
1 t salt
5 1/2 T shortening or unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg slightly beaten
1 t lemon extract
3.5 c unbleached bread or AP flour
2 t instant yeast
1 1/8 to 1 1/4 cup whole milk or buttermilk at room temp
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6.5 T granulated sugar plus 1.5 T ground cinnamon)
White Fondant Glaze (recipe to follow)

Cream together the sugar, salt, and shortening on medium high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large meta spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand). Whip in the egg and lemon extract until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast, and milk. Mix on low speed or stir by hand until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rollin tit around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

Mist the counter with spray oil and transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rollin pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns. Don't roll out the dough too think, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a spiral as you roll. With the seam side down cut the dough into 8 to 12 even pieces about 1 3/4 inch thick for larger guns; or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 1/4 inch thick for smaller buns.

Line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchments. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so they aren't touching but are close to one another.

Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Bake the cinnamon buns for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

For cinnamon buns, cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes then streak white fondant glaze across the tops while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.


White Fondant Glaze for Cinnamon Buns (Since Cyndi Insisted On It)
Adapted from The Bread Baker's Apprentice

Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar. Add 1 tsp of lemon extract and between 6 T to 1/2 cup of warm milk, briskly whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add milk slowly as needed to make a thick smooth consistency.

When the buns are cooled, invert into the ooey gooey mess and twist to release from the glaze. We dipped several times, because we are sugar fiends. Heaven on Earth, I kid you not.