weekend cinnamon buns

Kowa-BUN-ga! Vegan cinnamon buns

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving! If you are shopping this Black Friday, I hope you'll think outside the box shop and consider supporting small and local businesses. If, on the other hand, you are staying home like me, then I hope you'll try this easy, vegan cinnamon bun recipe. For some strange reason, the idea of making cinnamon buns from scratch strikes fear into even the most seasoned of bakers, but trust me, if I can do it, so can you. The hardest part is impatiently waiting for them to be finished! You'll need to be at home for a few hours to supervise two dough risings.

Cinnamon buns are a delicious holiday breakfast with coffee or tea

As these cinnamon buns bake, your kitchen will smell swell with insanely spicy and festive aromas, so don't be surprised if neighbors, long-lost friends and even strangers suddenly appear on your doorstop.

Extreme close-up of gooey cinnamon center

Cinnamon buns are not exactly health food; they're a special, once-in-a-while treat. But some folks regularly indulge in the fast-food variety. Let's do a little nutrition comparison, keeping in mind that I used full-fat coconut milk. If you use soy, rice or almond milk, your counts will likely be even lower.

Dynise's Cinnamon Buns	Cinnabon Classic Bun
225 calories	880 calories
9.5 grams fat	36 grams fat
199 mg sodium*	830 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol	20 mg cholesterol

* Lower the sodium by reducing or even omitting the salt. 

Exercising self control as I photographed these was a definite challenge.

These are delicious for breakfast with coffee or tea, either fresh from the oven or warmed in the microwave. If you're inclined to decadence, top them with a bit more Earth Balance. Trust me, they won't be around for long.

Weekend Cinnamon Buns

Dough

• 1 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup water, warm to the wrist
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 heaping T soy flour [Optional, but it gives extra lift to the dough]
• 3/4 cup room-temperature non-dairymilk [I used full-fat coconut milk, included in the nutrition calculation]
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 T softened Earth Balance or vegan margarine
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Filling

• 2 T plus 1 T softened Earth Balance or vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips, nuts or raisins [Optional]

Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• About 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• Pinch salt

Makes 8 cinnamon buns

In a small bowl, mix together sugar, yeast and water. Water should be warm to the wrist -- too hot and it will kill the yeast, too cold and it won't "wake up." Let it sit for about 5 minutes until it starts to foam.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. [I use my KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook]. Add the foamy yeast mixture and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.

Before rising

Gather dough into a ball, cover with foil or a tea towel and place somewhere warm. [I used my new oven's proofing function. What a cool feature!]

After rising. It's magic!

Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 2 T Earth Balance, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Set aside.

Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. [I use my ruled-edged silpat] Shape/roll into a 6 x 14-inch rectangle. Spread with remaining 1 T of Earth Balance then spread cinnamon-brown sugar mixture on top. If using nuts, chocolate chips or raisins, scatter them atop cinnamon mixture.

Roll rectangle into a log.

Using a serrated knife, gently cut in half, and then cut each half into 4 pieces. Careful not to squish your buns.

Place these, evenly separated, in a 9-inch round cake or square 9 x 9-inch pan.

Cover, and again, let rise in a warm place until doubled and puffy, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake buns for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Let them cool for about 10 minutes before icing them.








While the cinnamon buns bake, combine icing ingredients in a small bowl – add more liquid if you prefer a thinner glaze. Ice buns, and serve warm.