The Best Cinnamon Buns Ever

Ingredienti

Recipe

Dough

250 g warm milk

12 grams yeast

1 egg

65 g sugar

2 tsp (4 g) cardamom

1 T + 1/2 tsp (23 g) salt

650 g bread flour

14 T (196 g) softened unsalted butter

Filling

228 g (16T) softened unsalted butter

50 g (1/4 cup) dark brown sugar

1.5 tsp salt

10 g cinnamon

1 tsp (2 g) ground cardamom

200 g (1 cup) light brown sugar

Egg Wash

1 egg

2 T (31 g)milk

Optional: Pearl Sugar

Dough

Mix milk, yeast, egg, sugar, salt and cardamom in a bowl with a dough hook. Add bread flour a half cup at a time until it's all added. Then add butter and mix on low speed for 4 minutes or until dough starts to come together, scraping down the sides as needed. After the 4 minutes, increase the speed to medium and mix for an additional 10 minutes until dough is a smooth ball that doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl. Take it out of the bowl and knead several times to form a cohesive ball that passes the windowpane test. Let rise in a covered, greased bowl for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Filling

Cream butter. Add dark brown sugar and continue to mix. Add in salt, cinnamon and cardamom and mix. Add in light brown sugar and finish mixing. The mixture should be thick enough to hold together and spreadable with the butter fully incorporated.

Forming the dough

Flour your surface well. Roll out the dough to a 22" x 15" rectangle. It will be about 1/3 inch thick. Drop the filling in rounded tablespoons evenly over the dough and spread to a uniform thickness with little border (>1/2 inch). Fold the dough by bringing the left hand side over to just past the middle. Brush off any extraneous flour. Cover the left side with the right side so the dough is folded in thirds like a letter. Lightly roll out to remove any air bubbles, keeping the sides even. Roll until you have a rectangle measuring 8" x 24".

Cut by measuring 1" increments on the long side of the rectangle and cut even strips all the way across. Stretch one strip at a time until it measures 18" - 20". If the filling starts to come out, stop stretching.

Twist each strip 3-4 times. Then holding an end, twist the strip around your fingers twice, bring the end over the top of your fingers. Remove your fingers and secure the end underneath the pastry.

Allow to rise again for about an hour until doubled on a covered baking sheet.

Alternatively , use a muffin tin that has been buttered on bottom and sides and has 1/2 tsp of brown sugar in the bottom of each well. Coat the bottom of each well in the muffin tin by shaking it to spread the sugar. Cover the tin as the buns rise until doubled.

Egg Wash

Brush each bun with the egg wash. Optional: sprinkle a little pearl sugar on each bun.

Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Serve warm.