Glazed Cinnamon Buns

Jordan and I made these last week. They were flipping great. We may or may not have been dressed like this:

Don’t worry about the cape or that terrifying look in my eyes. Also, plz note MJ on the right. Back to the rolls- they’re super tasty and fun to make. Jordan wanted a shout out for getting the yeast to rise without a thermometer (the warmed liquid it’s added to is supposed to be 105-115º), so here you go, boy. Thanks also to Collin for throwing dat dough like it was his bidness.

Makes ~16 Buns

Cinnamon Buns

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm soy or almond milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup melted vegan margarine
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2.5 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup vegan margarine, softened

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons water
• 3-4 drops lemon extract
• a dash of nutmeg

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm soy/almond milk. Set aside 5-6 minutes, until it foams up. When it’s foamy stir in sugar, margarine, applesauce, and salt. Stir in the flour.

2. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. To avoid sticking, sprinkle the dough with a bit more flour. Aim to use just enough to keep it from being sticky but not so much that the dough becomes overly dense or heavy.

3. Ball the dough up and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 50-60 minutes, until it is about 2X the original size. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and punch it (best part! stress relief!), then roll it into a large rectangle. [If you have a friend who is great at throwing dough, have him do it.]

4. Preheat the oven to 400º. Prepare the filling by mixing the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Spread softened margarine over the surface of the dough and sprinkle generously with the cinna-sugar mixture. Begin rolling the dough, starting at the long side, down to the bottom edge until you have a long log.

5. Slice the log into 3/4”-1” pieces. Place the buns about 1” apart in a lightly greased baking dish. Allow them to rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes then pop ‘em in the oven for 15 minutes or until golden.

6. Whisk together powdered sugar, water, lemon extract, and nutmeg to make the icing. Drizzle on the buns while they are still warm.

These buns are the bomb. They should keep pretty well in the fridge for up to 3 days, though you’ll have to try that for yourself because these guys didn’t last more than 24 hours after we made ‘em. Happy nomming.