refined sugar-free cinnamon buns
WOW GUYS.
k first… don’t worry, i’m not going to become one of those “food bloggers” who make you read through their ENTIRE LIFE STORY before you can get to the recipe.
i am going to say, however, that i am really freaking proud of myself for this one… brace yourself just a sec so i can humbly brag...
not only was this my first time ever making cinnamon buns, but i also combined two different recipes in order to make these buns EXACTLY what i wanted… and that was for them to be refined-sugar free (i don’t own white sugar and i don’t want to), but still be fluffy and buttery and yummyyyyy. and, i gotta say, they turned out AMAZING! if you don’t believe me, ask janel.
if you wanna check-out the two recipes i pulled from, here they are:
https://www.wifemamafoodie.com/cinnamon-rolls/
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cinnamon-buns-recipe2-1928384
now, without further ado… let’s make some buns, baby!
here’s what you’ll need:
whole milk
instant / bread machine yeast
coconut sugar
unbleached all-purpose flour
salt
nutmeg
unsalted butter
an egg yolk
vanilla
maple syrup
cinnamon (duh)
softened cream cheese
LET’S GET TO IT!
to begin, warm 1 cup of milk over the stove top in a small pot. when it feels a bit warmer than room temperature (i just stuck my finger in there), transfer it into a bowl and sprinkle 2 ¼ tsp. of yeast and a pinch of the coconut sugar on top. make sure you do NOT mix these in, just let it rest for now.
in a separate, large bowl, measure out 2 ¾ cups of your flour, a few cracks of salt, and a pinch or so of nutmeg. incorporate these ingredients so they are well-combined.
in another separate bowl, melt ¼ cup of butter, let it cool for a minute or so, then whisk in your egg yolk, 1 ½ tsp. of vanilla, and ¼ cup of maple syrup.
at this point, your yeast mixture should be foamy on top and start smelling like that good-yeasty-smell. pour it into your wet mixture and give it a nice whisk.
now, go back to your large bowl containing your dry mixture, prepare a little “well” in the middle of the bowl, and pour the entire wet mixture in. stir this with a wooden spoon until it is fully incorporated.
lightly dust a clean counter-top with some flour, and transfer all of your dough onto the surface. knead it for about 6 minutes, until it feels soft and elastic-y.
lightly butter the inside of a clean bowl, form your dough into a ball, and put it inside of the bowl. cover this (i used beeswax wrap), and rest it in a warm area (i put it on top of my radiator) for about an hour.
after the hour is up, your dough should be about double the size of when you left it. now you can preheat your oven to 350F.
in a medium bowl, melt ½ cup butter, and stir in ¾ cup of coconut sugar and 1 heaped tbsp. of cinnamon (almost 2 tbsp.).
again, lightly dust that clean counter-top with some flour, and dump your dough onto the surface. roll it out into a large rectangle, it should be about 1cm thick.
pour that lovely buttery-sugary-cinnamon spread over top of the dough’s surface, and evenly spread it across with a brush or a rubber spatula. this part is very fun and nice to do. enjoy it.
once it’s evenly distributed, it’s time to roll, baby! starting at the long edge, roll up your dough as tight as possible. once i was about ¾ through, my melted butter mixture started to spill over onto the counter, so after licking some of it up, i took the opposite end and sealed it over what i had already rolled to save as much as possible!
cut your roll into 12 even buns, mine were about 1” thick! i found the best way to get them as even as possible was to cut the roll in half, then cut the two halves in half, then cut THOSE halves into 3 equal parts (was that confusing? i hope you understood).
now, this is optional, but i decided to freeze half of the raw dough so that i could pace myself a bit, and have fresher buns when i want them again! my plan is to thaw the frozen raw buns in the fridge overnight, and then let them sit on the countertop for about an hour before baking them.
however, for your for-now-buns, line a large enough baking dish with parchment paper, and place your cinnamon buns in, ensuring there’s some breathing space between them. i used a 9x9” dish for 6 buns!
now pop that sucker in the oven for 23 minutes!! you’re so cloooooose!
while they’re baking, beat together 4 oz. (¼ cup) of soften cream cheese, ½ tbsp. of softened butter, 3 tbsp. of maple syrup, a splash of milk & a splash of vanilla. give it a lil taste test to make sure it’s yummy & adjust as necessary. you’ll have more time until your buns are done, so do your dishes mate!!! you’ll thank me later.
once your buns are done, they should be even bigger and just-golden. if they aren’t, give them another minute or two but do NOT over bake!!! don’t wanna burn that good stuff that’s inside…
take them out of the dish to cool, and after about 5 minutes, drizzle that good cream-cheesy glaze over the top!
and that’s it! if you don’t devour them all right away, keep them in a sealed container please! they’ll last on the countertop for about a day, but after that point, i’d recommend storing them in the fridge!
and enjoy! bon appétit friends! i know it seems like a lot of work, but it’s a really enjoyable and relaxing time, and the end result is DELICIOUS. if you end up making these, please please please let me know & send pics!! if you feel really crazy and want to post it on your gram, you can even tag my cooking account @chefskyefieri ! can’t wait to see it :)
until next time!
xx
skye
