His Favorite Cinnamon Buns

Between March and April, we've been to IKEA for copious amount of time. With each visit, my 4-yr-old son would ask for their $1.25 cinnamon bun. He loves it so much, sometimes waking up, the first thing he asks is "did you make cinnamon bun today?" 

He loves helping me in the kitchen, but the only thing he helps me with from start to finish is cinnamon bun. When making other treats, halfway through, he'll announce that he's bored and would rather do something else. Eminently, when it comes to this puffy sweet bun, he waits for the dough to rise, even reminds me to check on it every 30 minutes. Roll the dough up with his tiny hands and tell me whether I cut them too thick or too thin. He wants to make sure it comes out perfect. While he prefers savory food, dark chocolate and anything-cinnamon-flavored top his favorite snack list.

We've been using the recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and he loves it so. "It's better than IKEA's cinnamon bun", he says.


Ingredients:

• 6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar 
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 1/8 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar mixed with 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder)

1. Cream together the sugar, salt and butter on medium high with a paddle attachment. Whip in egg and lemon zest until smooth. Then add flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to dough hook and mix on medium speed for 10 minutes until dough is silky. Lightly oil a bowl and transfer dough into it. Flip it to cover the dough with oil and cover the bowl with saran wrap.
2. Let it rise at room temperature for about 2 hours, until the dough doubles in size.
3. Oil the counter and transfer the dough to it. Roll out the dough with rolling pin into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick, 14 inches wide and 12 inches long. 
4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the dough and roll it up.
5. With seam side down, cut dough into 12 even pieces about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place the buns 1/2 inch apart of each other on a lined baking sheet. And let rise for 90 minutes until the buns have doubled in size.
6. Preheat oven to 350F.
7. Bake cinnamon buns for about 20-30 minutes on the middle rack until golden brown.
8. Cool buns in the baking sheet until slightly cooled but still warm. Add the white fondant (recipe followed) on top.

For the white fondant:

Sift 2 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl, add about 3 tbsp of warm milk until sugar is dissolved. Add milk slowly and only enough to make a thick, smooth paste.