Try this Cinnamon Apple Buns recipe, or contribute your own.
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- glaze
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- filling
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
- 1/4 cup imperial sugar extra fine granulated sugar
- or 2 tablespoons steviacane
- 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 vanilla bean split & scraped
- 2 cups cold whole milk
- 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 1 cup butter very soft
- 2 cups imperial sugar dark brown sugar
- 2 cups imperial sugar confectioners powdered sugar
- *spoon and sweep method: use a spoon to fill mea
- Carbohydrate 10.3081105576843 g
- Cholesterol 14.3633333448038 mg
- Fat 5.41590055991556 g
- Fiber 1.06296664851139 g
- Protein 1.2566261112617 g
- Saturated Fat 3.37833044719408 g
- Serving Size 1 1 - 20 serving (42g)
- Sodium 17.5758333341839 mg
- Sugar 9.24514390917292 g
- Trans Fat 0.409196111429363 g
- Calories 90 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix water, yeast and sugar together until yeast and sugar are dissolved. Set aside.
- In a bowl of stand mixer, prepare the pudding according to package directions.
- Add melted butter, vanilla, eggs and salt; mix to blend well.
- Add yeast mixture and blend well.
- Gradually add flour and cardamom; transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough until smooth.
- Place in a greased bowl; cover and let rise until doubled.
- Punch down dough and let rise again.
- Roll out on a floured surface to about 2 feet by 16 inches. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. Top with applesauce.
- In a bowl mix 2 cups brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger, then sprinkle over the top. Roll up tightly. Don’t be afraid to tug on the dough, it is very stretchy and the more “rolls†you get the better!
- Put a notch every 1 1/2 – 2 inches. Cut with thread or a sharp knife.
- Place cinnamon rolls on lightly greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart; lightly press each roll down. **at this point you can cover and freeze them for a rainy day! You may also opt to bake each roll in its own small pan.
- Cover and let rise to almost double again.
- Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While rolls bake, prepare glaze. Combine ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Remove when rolls start to turn golden. Don’t over-bake. Frost warm rolls with glaze.
High-hydration enriched doughs containing butter, eggs, and milk require careful gluten network development to support heavy fillings without collapsing. Measuring flour using the spoon-and-sweep method prevents packing too much starch into the bowl, which produces heavy, dense crumb structures instead of light layers. Activating dry yeast in warm water before adding fats ensures optimal carbon dioxide production, driving the essential double-rise process.
Modifying this recipe for dietary restrictions involves straightforward substitutions that preserve structural integrity. Dairy butter can be replaced with plant-based baking sticks at a one-to-one ratio, though high-water margarines will weaken the dough structure and require an extra tablespoon of flour. Steviacane works effectively as a direct replacement for standard granulated sugar in the yeast activation stage, though artificial sweeteners will not caramelize during baking the way sucrose does.
Undrebaking and overmixing represent the two primary failure points for enriched sweet rolls. Kneading the dough until smooth develops the elasticity needed to stretch the cylinder thin without tearing the gluten sheets. Pulling the buns from the oven precisely when the edges turn golden at 350 degrees Fahrenheit prevents the interior crumb from drying out during the 15 to 20 minute bake time.
Shaping the rolls requires rolling the dough out to roughly two feet by 16 inches, spreading the soft butter, and layering applesauce alongside the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom mixture. Cutting the log into 18 distinct portions using a clean thread instead of a knife preserves the interior spiral without compressing the delicate layers. Unbaked assembled buns freeze well immediately after slicing and panning, provided they are wrapped tightly to prevent freezer burn before the final rise phase.
