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On Mother’s Day we called our aunt to send our best wishes, and ended up chatting about our family’s favorite topic: food. We ended up reminiscing about the Pecan Logs from Fanny Farmer and the Pecan Honey Buns from Horn & Hardart, both chains long gone.
After the call ended, we couldn’t wait to make these delicious, 90-minute Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls from one of our favorite bakers, Audra, The Baker Chick.
If you’d like to bake something this weekend, we recommend these yummy breakfast and tea-time pastries. They’re at best warm from the oven (or warmed up in the microwave), but “best” is relative: They’re always delicious! Any extras can be frozen.
October 4th is National Cinnamon Roll Day, and February 21st is National Sticky Bun Day.
> The year’s 15+ pastry holidays.
> The history of cinnamon.
Below:
> The year’s 5 cinnamon holidays are below.
> The history of cinnamon rolls.
> Different types of cinnamon rolls around the world.
The recipe follows, but first, some definitions:
Cinnamon rolls refer to the spiral-shaped pastries made from rolled dough with cinnamon-sugar filling. They’re often topped with icing (especially cream cheese frosting) and tend to be flatter and wider, with distinct spiral layers visible from the top.
Cinnamon buns can refer to the same thing, but the term is sometimes used for versions that are topped with a sticky glaze or caramel rather than icing, and baked closer together so they pull apart like sticky buns.
Honey buns are glazed sweet rolls with a similar spiral shape to cinnamon rolls, but glazed with honey or honey-flavored icing rather than cream cheese frosting. They may or may not have cinnamon inside.
Sticky buns are related but distinctly different, baked with caramel and pecans on the bottom and flipped over.
> The difference between rolls and buns.
RECIPE: BROWN BUTTER CINNAMON ROLLS
Ingredients For 12 Rolls
¾ cup milk
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
3¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 package (.25 ounce/2¼ teaspoons) instant yeast
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 egg
For The Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened
Optional: 1/4 cup raisins/currants or chopped pecans
For The Frosting
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
2-3 cups powdered sugar (we found 2 cups to be sweet enough)
Preparation
1. HEAT the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter and stir until melted. Let the mixture cool until lukewarm.
2. COMBINE in a large mixing bowl 2¼ cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt; whisk together. Add the water, the egg and the milk mixture; beat well with an electric mixer. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir well after each addition (the dough will be too thick and sticky at this point to use the a mixer.) When the dough has just pulled together…
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[1] The Baker Chick’s Brown Butter Cinnamon Buns. The recipe is at the left (photo © The Baker Chick).
[2] A yummy cinnamon roll with a sugar glaze. Here’s the recipe (photo © Wilton Cake Decorating | Facebook).
[3] A recipe for sticky buns from Ezra Pound Cake. They’re a version of the Horn & Hardart pecan honey buns of our youth, also called sticky buns (photo © Ezra Pound Cake).
[4] No time to bake? Get these sticky buns from Mackenzie Ltd. (photo © Mackenzie Ltd.).
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3. TURN it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, use the dough hook in a stand mixer. When ready, the dough will spring back when lightly pressed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Meanwhile…
4. BROWN the butter by placing it in a small microwave-safe container. Cover it with a microwavable saucer or other tight lid (including microwavable plastic wrap with a vent cut in) and microwave for 3-5 minutes. The butter will melt, pop and then turn brown. If you don’t have a microwave, you can do this on the stove top. While the butter cools slightly, mix together the filling—butter, brown sugar and cinnamon—in a small bowl.
5. ROLL out the dough into a 9×12 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface (use a 9×13 baking dish as a guide.) Using a pastry brush, slather the dough with the brown butter. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and the optional raisins/nuts, and press in lightly so they does’t fall out when you roll the pastry. The brown sugar mix should cover the dough all the way to the edges.
6. ROLL up the dough and pinch the seam to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal size rolls and place in a 9×13 baking dish. Cover and let the rolls rise in a warm place* until doubled, about 30 minutes.
7. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until golden. While the rolls bake…
8. MAKE the frosting: Whip together the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. Beat until creamy and spreadable. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes and then spread the rolls with frosting. Serve warm.
[5] Kanelbullar, Swedish cinnamon rolls. Here’s the recipe (photo © Merry Boosters).
THE 5 YEAR’S CINNAMON HOLIDAYS
There are many foods that have cinnamon as a key ingredient, from chai to gingersnaps to rice pudding. Here, we confine ourselves to those with “cinnamon” in their name.
April 10: National Cinnamon Crescent Day
September 15: Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie Day
September 16: National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day
October 4: National Cinnamon Roll Day
November 1: National Cinnamon Day
THE HISTORY OF CINNAMON ROLLS
Originating in Sri Lanka, cinnamon has been prized since ancient times, used throughout Asia, ancient Egypt, and ancient Rome. However, it was extremely expensive and rare in Europe until trade routes expanded.
By the 18th century, when Sweden was a major European power with global trade connections, kanelbullar, Sweden’s version of cinnamon buns, were first created (photo #5, above)—often flavored with cardamom, another favorite spice in Swedish baking. The dough was twisted to expose the filling. And it was Sweden that created Cinnamon Bun Day (Kanelbullens dag) on October 4th.
Germans created their own version of cinnamon-flavored rolled pastries called schnecken (meaning “snails” for their spiral shape). It spread to other parts of Europe and eventually came to the U.S. with German immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Cinnamon Rolls In America
The cinnamon roll evolved significantly on American shores. In the 1950s, when they hit mass market production and could be found neatly boxed in supermarkets, the American cinnamon roll was heavily frosted, fluffier, and sweeter than European versions.
Not surprisingly, Americans loved this sweeter version, and the rolls became so popular that they led to cinnamon roll bakeries, like T.J. Cinnamons in Kansas City, Missouri†.
This led to the launch (in December 1985) of the Cinnabon chain, which turned the cinnamon roll into supersized, cream-cheese-frosted indulgence tempting visitors to food courts, malls, and airports.
CINNAMON ROLLS AROUND THE WORLD
Regional differences abound.
Australia/New Zealand: Cinnamon scrolls, similar to American rolls but often without heavy frosting. Sometimes made with puff pastry for a crispier texture.
China: Cinnamon buns are a hybrid version in modern bakeries, using milk bread dough (soft, stretchy, very fluffy).
Colombia: Rollos de canela, similar to U.S. versions but lighter and less sweet.
Czech Republic: Šneky or strúdlíky, cinnamon rolls made with a lighter yeast dough, sometimes including nuts or raisins.
Denmark: Kanelsnegle (“cinnamon snails”), made with a soft, sweet laminated yeast dough featuring a hint of cardamom, and filled with a very buttery swirl of sugar and cinnamon. Similar to Swedish kanelbullar, but often larger, with more butter and sugar. Can be flaky or enriched-bread style depending on recipe. Sometimes topped with icing instead of kanelbullar’s pearl sugar.
England: Chelsea buns, filled with currants, brown sugar, and spices (not always just cinnamon), glazed with sugar syrup after baking; closer to a sticky/glazed roll than the American iced style.
Finland: Korvapuusti (“slapped ears”), strong cardamom flavor in the dough, flattened and pinched in the middle which gives it a distinctive ear-like shape. Uses the same cardamom-scented “pulla” dough as other Nordic buns, and is less gooey/sweet than U.S. versions.
Germany: Schnecken (“snails”), a coiled spiral shape traditionally made with a sweet yeast dough enriched with butter, eggs, and sometimes quark (fresh cheese). Cinnamon-sugar is a common filling, but raisins, nuts, or poppy seeds are also used. The tops are often brushed with syrup or topped with streusel. These pastries were brought to the U.S. by German immigrants, especially the Pennsylvania Dutch, and evolved into the American sticky bun.
India: Cinnamon buns, often spiced with cardamom, cloves, or nutmeg in addition to cinnamon, usually less frosted.
Japan: Shinamon rooru, made with milk bread (shokupan), often softer, fluffier, and less sweet than the American version, sometimes topped with whipped cream or custard, sometimes made in a loaf-style cinnamon-swirl bread.
Korea: Cinnamon rolls, typically smaller and more delicate than American versions, made with milk bread often with creative toppings (matcha glaze, cream cheese swirls).
Mexico: Pan de canela, sweet cinnamon rolls, sometimes less gooey than the American style.
Middle East: Exchanges Western ingredients for local flavors like cardamom, dates, honey, pistachios, and tahini.
Norway: Kanelsnurrer, similar to Danish kanelsnegl.
Poland: Drożdżówki, sweet yeast buns, sometimes cinnamon-filled, often topped with fruit or cheese as well.
Sweden: Kanelbullar, small-to-medium knots or twists, less sweet than American versions, cardamom-spiced, with a pearl sugar topping (photo #5).
Turkey/Cyprus: Cinnamon pastries, often made with yufka or phyllo-like dough, sometimes closer to a cinnamon-flavored baklava spiral.
U.S. American Cinnamon Roll: Large, sweet and fluffy, very soft and yeasty, drenched with cream cheese frosting or vanilla glaze.
U.S. Sticky Buns/Pecan Sticky Buns:, Similar to cinnamon rolls but baked in a pan with butter, brown sugar or honey, and pecans at the bottom, inverted after baking so the sticky caramelized topping coats the rolls.
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*Proofing is the final rise of shaped dough before baking—a specific rest period during the fermentation process. Cold air will retard the rise, so if it’s cold in your kitchen, preheat the oven to 200°F and proof the dough in the oven.
†After serveral acquisitions, the T.J. Cinnamons brand is now owned by GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands) that also currently owns Auntie Anne’s, Carvel, Cinnabon, Jamba, McAlister’s Deli, Moe’s Southwest Grill, and Schlotzsky’s brands.
[6] Miniature sticky buns (photo ACH Foodservice).
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