This Cini-bun, recipe from Sweet and Sugar Bean, is really simple and easy. They took 20 mins to make and under 20 mins to bake. And there's something about rolling cinnamon in dough that makes me happy. Plus the smell takes over the whole house and makes everyone else happy.
The only thing I changed from the original recipe is I used all butter instead of part butter, part shortening, and I put a tablespoon of cocoa in the filling.
Ingredients:
DOUGH:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
i 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk, cold
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
FILLING:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Method:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease a 8x8-inch square baking pan with butter and set aside.
In a small bowl, make the filling by mixing together sugars, spices, cocoa, salt, and melted butter. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. (Add butter and beat until butter is cut into tiny bits and incorporates with the flour some. About 1 minute or so). In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat lightly with a fork. Add the liquid to flour mixture all at once, let the mixer go until the dough has just come together, just a few seconds.
Turn out onto a floured board and pull the dough together and flatten into a disk for rolling. If the butter has warmed too much in the making of the dough, shape the batter into a dish, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. If the butter is still cool, shape the dough into a disk and, on a well floured surface, roll dough to a little less than 1/2-inch thickness. My dough was about 12-inches long and 10-inches tall. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar filling. At this point I sprinkled it liberally with extra cinnamon. Begin to carefully roll one vertical side into a fairly tight roll. Continue rolling until you have a biscuit cylinder. Using a sharp, floured knife, slice into log, about 1-inch thick. Place rolls, in prepared pan. Brush the tops with a little extra melted butter and bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown on top.
