The best way to start your weekend morning? A delicious coffee and a fluffy cinnamon bun ... just warm out of the oven and slathered in glorious creamy frosting.
Over lockdown we shared the recipe and enjoyed watching people bake them at home. They are featured in our recipe book 'Recipes for Happiness' alongside all of our Steampunk baking.
Recently I shared a new version - The Apple Spice Bun - which will feature in a future Blog post too
Now you have the recipe you can make them whenever you want and don't need to be restricted to weekends. We are not making these at Steampunk at the moment, so better get your oven gloves on!
Here is the recipe for the classic, much loved Steampunk Cinnamon Bun.
Steampunk Cinnamon Buns
The Dough
2 tsp yeast
60ml warm water
1/4 tsp sugar
400g strong flour
60g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
40g melted butter*
140ml hot water
First dissolve the yeast in the 60ml warm water with the 1/4 tsp of sugar. Leave to prove for about 10 minutes.
While that is proving mix the flour, 60g caster sugar and salt in a large bowl. Once the yeast mix is bubbly, add to the flour mix along with the melted butter* and 140ml hot water. Knead about 10 minutes - dough should be smooth and easy to handle. Knead in more flour if dough is too soft and sticky.
Put in a clean bowl, cover and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
(*We always made these vegan at Steampunk, it is easy to do by substituting the butter with a plant based margarine suitable for baking and the milk in the icing can easily be swapped to plant milk.)
The Filling
40g softened butter
30g light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Raisins (optional)
Roll your dough out to a rectangle approximately 30 cm wide by 20 cm high. Spread dough with the softened butter and then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add raisins here if you like.
Roll your dough from the top down (long side), as tight as you can, pulling out the corners to keep the recangular shape. Slice into 6 or 8 pieces, using a serrated knife to not crimp the dough. Place cut side down (so that they look like little spirals) into a 23cm square or round lined tin. Cover with foil and let rise in a warm room for 2 hours. You can then bake or refrigerate overnight to bake next morning.
If you are refrigerating, take the buns out 1-2 hours before baking to warm to room temperature before baking.
Bake for 30 minutes at 180C fan.
The Frosting (aka the best bit!)
40g melted butter/vegan substitute
140g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp milk/plant milk
Make the frosting by whisking all ingredients
together until smooth and thick. Add a bit extra sugar if it is too runny, more milk if too thick.
Cool buns for 10 minutes then slather that frosting on - don’t scrimp now...
If you love this recipe, you may enjoy 'Recipes for Happiness' - a collection of all of our best loved Steampunk baking.