Cinnamon buns
Makes: 6 large buns
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Martin Poole
Cinnamon buns
‘These buns have been on the menu since we launched our Cotswold bakeries and are really popular,' says chef Will. 'We use an enriched dough, which gives better flavour, richness, and a softer texture. Here’s the secret to the success of a good bun: we use a soaking syrup (or as the French call it, an imbibage). Your sponge or bun needs to drink! It’s a simple syrup consisting of equal quantities of sugar and water, brought to the boil and allowed to cool. It’s then flavoured with whatever suits the recipe best, usually alcohol or fruit juice; in the case of our cinnamon buns, some lovely zingy lemon juice!’
Makes: 6 large buns
Prep time: 35 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
627Kcal
Fat
24gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
99gr
Sugars
37gr
Fibre
3gr
Protein
13gr
Salt
2.2gr
Will Alexander
Will studied patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu before rising up the ranks at Bibendum. He now runs two Cotswold café-bakeries
See more of Will Alexander’s recipes
Will Alexander
Will studied patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu before rising up the ranks at Bibendum. He now runs two Cotswold café-bakeries
See more of Will Alexander’s recipes
Ingredients
- 270ml whole milk
- 500g strong bread flour
- 1 x 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
- 40g caster sugar
- 10g salt
- 50g soft butter, diced
- flavourless oil, to grease
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1-2 tbsp demerara sugar
For the filling
- 100g softened butter
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 20 cardamom pods, seeds ground
- zest of ½ lemon
For the syrup
- 50g caster sugar
- juice of ½ lemon (use the zested lemon from above)
Step by step
Get ahead
To have freshly baked buns for breakfast, prepare the buns through to second proving stage (in the baking tin) the night before. After 30 minutes’ proving, chill overnight. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before baking. Cooled buns can be frozen, well-wrapped.
- To make the dough, warm the milk to roughly body temperature. Remove from the heat. Tip the flour, yeast, caster sugar, salt and the warm milk mixture into the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix for 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Slowly add the butter bit by bit until it’s incorporated fully; the dough should look glossy and smooth. Cover and allow to more than double in size in a warm place; about an hour.
- Knock back the dough and form into a rough square with your hands. Wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile for the filling, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the remaining ingredients with a pinch of salt and mix again until combined.
- For the syrup, place the caster sugar in a small saucepan with 50g water. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before mixing in the lemon juice.
- Grease and line a 20 x 30cm tin with baking paper. Grease your work surface and rolling pin with a little oil. Roll out the dough to a 30 x 45cm rectangle, about 5mm thick. Spread the filling all over and right to the edges. Roll the dough into a spiral, starting from a short side and keeping it tight and uniform. Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into six (or eight if you prefer). Place the coiled buns in the tin, slightly spaced apart, loosely cover and leave to prove until doubled in size and starting to touch; about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6.
- Brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. While still warm, generously soak the buns in plenty of the syrup. Enjoy with plenty of napkins on hand!
