Story Time
I woke up early on a Sunday morning in August in Connecticut and it was 60 DEGREES! It felt like fall outside, and I wasn't mad about it one bit. Between peach and pear picking on Saturday with my mom at Lyman Orchards, and waking up to the cool weather on Sunday, it's safe to say I was in a fall mood.
What better way to celebrate fall than with some warm and spicy ... cinnamon rolls! These aren't your average cinnamon rolls, not by a long shot. These are filled with three layers: butter, cinnamon and minced pie filling (something I have a sordid past with, but am absolutely obsessed with now. If you want to know more, or are just asking yourself what in the hell is minced meat filling stay tuned)! They are then topped with an orange, vanilla glaze - it is still summer after all, so of course I had to sneak in some citrusy element. But bonus! The orange glaze plays nicely with the undertones of orange zest in the mincemeat pie filling.
It's funny, I was describing these to my brother and was given a look of total disgust when it came time for the orange glaze. "You always go weird with your flavors." Personally, I take that as a compliment, ESPECIALLY, since he had one and proclaimed them as "fu**in amazing."
Weird works, people. Remember that. Maybe not all the time, but you never know until you try!
Now, back to these cinnamon rolls.
Seriously, they are perfection. It's a great way to bake with a flavors and fillings typically found around Christmas time (the minced pie) while it's still warm out! And they're so simple that you'll leave your family and friends wicked impressed by your skills in the kitchen.
No need to pay for brunch when you have this recipe.
Method
I used half of the Mother Dough recipe from Christina Tosi and MILK Bar to make the dough and then chose whatever I wanted to fill it (this recipe is super versatile!).
MILK's Mother Dough is a great dough if you're in a pinch with a limited amount of time to get your pastry together. My usual dough recipe (coming soon!) requires additional time in the fridge overnight, but not this one! I whipped it up in an hour and had my family enjoy the rolls by lunch time.
I hope you enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this funky cinnamon roll twist!
Ingredients
Dough:
550g Flour (I prefer Bread Flour, but AP Flour will also suffice)
12g Kosher Salt
3.5g active dry yeast (If you can get Cake Yeast from your grocer's I would use that instead! I love the flavor it imparts in the dough, but I understand it may be harder to find and keep in the house due to its short shelf life -- Use 11g for the total Mother Dough recipe)
370g Water a room temperature
Grapeseed Oil (not necessary, but worth it! I found it with no problem at Trader Joe's)
Filling:
1/2 Stick Unsalted Butter
Cinnamon
1 Jar of None Such Mincemeat Pie Filling
Glaze:
1 1/2-2 Cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 tbs orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
Steps:
1. Using your mixer's dough hook like a spoon, mix together the flour, salt and yeast in in your mixer's bowl. Slowly add in the room temperature water as you continue to stir. Mix for about a minute as it becomes a "shaggy mess".
2. Next engage your bowl and dough hook and mix the dough on the lowest speed for three minutes. *Make sure you time your mixing! Under/over mixing will change the texture of your dough*
3. The dough will have come together after three minutes and look smoother. Add four more minutes to your timer and continue to knead the dough for an additional four minutes on your stand mixer's lowest speed.
4. Brush a bowl, double the size of your dough ball, with the Grapeseed oil and turn the dough into the ball. In a pinch I have used olive oil or even olive oil spray.
5. Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for 45 minutes, until it doubles in size.
6. If you're only using half of the dough, weigh out the risen dough ball and cut it in half. Put one half back in the bowl, cover it and place it in the fridge where it will stay for up to three days. Take the other half to begin the cinnamon rolls. Keep in mind you don't have to only have to use half of this recipe, I personally made MILK's bagel bombs with the other half, but a full dough recipe will yield bigger buns and we all know how Sir Mix A Lot feels about that!
7. Roll out the dough into an even square/rectange, about 1/2 cm thick. If the dough springs back at you while trying to roll it out let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
8. Once your dough is nice and rolled out it's time to add the filling! Melt your butter and drizzle that all over the rectangle. Next, take the cinnamon and cover the butter. You can add as little or as much cinnamon as you prefer, there's no wrong answer.
9. Next, using a spatula, scoop and spread the mincemeat pie filling over the cinnamon. One half of the Mother Dough recipe will use 1/2 a jar, but expect to use a full jar on a complete batch of dough.
10. Preheat the oven to 350.
11. Roll the dough rectangle towards you until it's own roll. Using two hands, work the dough outward as you roll to elongate the roll you're creating. Press down the seams to keep the filling from escaping.
12. Using a knife, lightly mark where you would like to cut the rolls. Once you've determined how big your buns will be, use the same knife to cut them. This recipe will yield 12 good sized buns.
12. Place the buns in muffin tins, or a 9x10 baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
13. As the buns bake whisk together your confectioner's sugar, orange juice and vanilla to create the glaze.
14. Let buns cool slightly and drizzle the orange glaze on top.
15. Stuff your faces!
This is by far the easiest cinnamon bun recipe I have tried! Not to mention the most scrumptious! Try it out for yourselves and let me know what you think (and if you're equally as inspired by Christina Tosi!)
~Britt
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