Pinch My Salt

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Cinnamon Rolls or Cinnamon Buns? Delicious Either Way!

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Lightly Glazed Cinnamon Bun

I call them Cinnamon Rolls, Peter Reinhart calls them Cinnamon Buns.  Whatever you call them, these things are delicious!  These Cinnamon Buns are the eighth bread in The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge!

What fun we’re having with this challenge!  Unlike some of the other great baking groups out there, we aren’t all baking the exact same breads at the exact same time.  But that’s what I’ve really grown to love about it!  It’s wonderful to have support and advice from those who have baked the bread before you, and it’s equally nice to be cheered on by those you who are following along behind you.

Speaking of being behind, it might seem that I’ve fallen behind in the challenge since I actually made these cinnamon rolls a couple of weeks ago.  But I’m further ahead in my bread baking than I am in my blogging and I plan on completing the tenth bread tomorrow!  You’ll just have to excuse me as I rush you through two bread posts this week (you’ll be reading about the next bread tomorrow) so I can try to get back on my original BBA blogging schedule.  I’ll try. We’ll see.  Either way, I’ll be sharing the process of every single bread I bake regardless of whether it’s on time or not!

I’m going to try something a little different this week.  Since the photos are self-explanatory, I’m going to let them stand on their own, without explanation.  Let’s see if you can follow along!

Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients

Creaming Butter and Sugar

Adding Egg and Lemon Zest

Beating Egg and Butter Mixture

Adding Flour and Water

Beat Until Dough Forms

Switch to Dough Hook

Knead with Dough Hook

Dough is Finished Kneading

Place Dough in Oiled Bowl

Allow Dough to Double

Put Dough on an Oiled Surface for Rolling

Roll Dough into a Rectangle

Sprinkle Dough with Cinnamon and Sugar Mixture

Personal Touch

Roll Dough into a Log

Place Seam Side Down

Score the Dough Lightly Where You Want to Cut It

Cut the Dough with a Sharp Knife

Place Cinnamon Rolls on Baking Sheet

Let Cinnamon Rolls Rise

Bake Cinnamon Rolls Until Golden

Drizzle Cinnamon Rolls with Glaze

Let Cinnamon Rolls Cool on a Wire Rack

I didn’t feel the need to offer explanations for the photos this time because I really didn’t have any problems at all with this formula!  Everything worked perfectly.  But there is something I would change next time.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the White Fondant Glaze and think I would prefer a different type of icing.  Next time I’ll try the Sticky Bun variation, or perhaps make a cream cheese glaze for the cinnamon buns.

For those of you who are participating in The BBA Challenge, here are some questions:  How did you like the Cinnamon Buns?  Did you make straight cinnamon buns or did you turn them into gooey sticky buns?  Did you learn anything new while using this formula?  Would you make them again?

And remember, if you wrote a blog post about your Cinnamon Buns, or have photos available online, please leave a comment and share your link!

Cinnamon Roll

The Next Bread

I’m not putting the cinnamon away quite yet, because the next bread is Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread!  If you want to bake along, the instructions begin on page 147 of The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  The recipe is very straightforward and doesn’t require any extra special ingredients.  It will make two loaves, so you’ll have an extra for the freezer or to give away to a lucky friend!  We have the option of adding even more cinnamon flavor by turning them into cinnamon swirl loafs (you know I’ll be doing that)!  Good luck and happy baking!

Want to Bake Along With Us?

There are several ways for you to join in the fun!  First of all, you need a copy of Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice.  Read the first section of the book carefully, as this will prepare you for the bread recipes in the second section of the book.  Then just jump in and bake some Anadama Bread! But first, please visit The BBA Challenge Page for more details on how to participate in the group!

If you haven’t already, you might want to bookmark the BBA Challenge Page.  From there you can see which breads are coming up soon, find answers to Frequently Asked Questions, visit and/or add yourself to our World Map, see the BBA Challenge Blogroll, and check out the continually updated slideshow of BBA Bread photos from our ever-expanding group of bakers!

Cinnamon and Sticky Buns from other BBA Challenge members:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. pam says

    Is writing your name mandatory? Because I can't write mine that prettily even with a fancy pen and paper, much less in cinnamon and sugar!
    Reply

  3. Gail says

    is there a recipie somewhere, I clicked the link, but only find a cook book page recipie, would love to try this out, cinnamon buns are my daughters favorite.
    Reply

  4. Jon T. says

    Hi Gail--Nicole addresses why the recipes aren't printed here on this page: https://pinchmysalt.com/the-bba-challenge/bba-challenge-faq/why-cant-i-share-the-bba-recipes-on-my-blog/
    Reply

  6. nico says

    Very good post!! I love your buns, they look really nice. Here you can see mine http://incursionandoenlacocina.blogspot.com/2009/07/bba-challenge-8-cinnamon-buns.html have a good one nico
    Reply

  8. Mags says

    Nicole, you're a natural at photography. Your photos are always so spot on. Lovely cinnamon rolls, girl... just lovely. Here's my post: http://othersideof50.blogspot.com/2009/06/cinnamon-buns-bba-challenge.html My favorite thus far... BY FAR!
    Reply

  10. Nicole says

    Gail & Liz: These were made for The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. I'm baking my way through the book (along with over 200 other people!) and photographing/blogging my experiences with the recipes. I'm not posting the recipes, but they can all be found in Peter Reinhart's book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice.
    Reply

  12. Ivete says

    I loved these! I'd never even eaten homemade cinnamon rolls before these, so they were quite special. Will definitely be making them again! Here's my blog post: http://achefsdaughter.com/2009/07/bba-challenge-bread-8-cinnamon-rolls/
    Reply

  16. Rituparna says

    Hi Nicole ! Your buns inspired me to bake bread for the first time even though it has been on my mind for sometime. They look so yummy I was dreaming of baking them in my sleep and just couldn't stop myself from baking a few myself. I did use milk in place of the water but I think that made the bread a bit heavy, so next time I'll go with water. Do check out my bolg for some pictures ...
    Reply

  17. AP269 says

    Great pictures!!!! And YOUR cinnamon buns do look yummy. Mine weren't a big hit. I posted about them here: http://ap269.wordpress.com/2009/09/05/bba-challenge-8-cinnamon-buns/
    Reply

  18. Abby says

    Love your gorgeous photos!!! Made the cinnamon buns and sticky buns (YUM) and the cinnamon raisin walnut bread (weren't too thrilled, but it's not really our type of bread). Here's my post for my cinnamony weekend: http://mixitbakeit.blogspot.com/2009/10/cinnamony-goodness-bba-7-8.html
    Reply

  19. mmk says

    Just made the cinnamon rolls today. I used half the cinnamon+sugar quantity, not being so fond of cinnamon in excess. I also added a sprinkling of raisins. I used lemon zest and buttermilk in the recipe. They turned out really well. I also made up only half the fondant recipe and still had tons left over - not sure how it would be possible to use a full quantity! I liked the lemony flavor in the icing. Anyway, they went down pretty well with the testers, and I was so excited about them that I overproofed my regular sandwich bread that I was making at the same time!
    Reply

  20. rayhana says

    hii .. I understood the steps..but can you give me the measurements of the recipe, like .. how many eggs should i use, how many cups for flour.. ets ??
    Reply

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