This is essentially a next level cinnamon roll. It uses a rough puff pastry to create a flakey bun and then it's filled with browned butter, cinnamon sugar, and lemon zest. It takes a while to create the danish dough, but it's so worth it! These buns are absolutely amazing and they are my go to for any brunch. Note that this dough recipe is a double batch so use half and freeze the other half for later!
It takes some time to make the rough puff, but you can do all the fold and turns in one go without having to refrigerate every time so it's faster than other laminated doughs. Once the dough is made, just roll it out and spread with browned butter, and the cinnamon sugar mixture.
The end result is unbelievable. The browned butter and lemon zest really take this recipe to the next level. Trust me, try it once and you'll never stop making these.
Recipe
Makes: 12 buns + extra dough Time: 3 hours + resting overnight
Ingredients
Dough:
¼ cup warm water
½ cup milk, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ cup bread flour (can use all all-purpose or all bread flour if needed)
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Assembly:
1/2 dough recipe from above (freeze the other half)
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for dusting
1/3 cup golden brown sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (you can also use an orange)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
A good pinch of kosher salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) browned butter, cooled
All-purpose flour for dusting
Directions
Dough
In a small measuring cup, stir together the water, milk, and egg.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, sugar and yeast. Scatter the cubed butter across the flour mixture. With two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry mix, as you would in making biscuits or pastry. Stop cutting once the butter is pea sized and distributed throughout.
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, then pour in the milk/egg mixture. Stir quickly to bring everything together into a messy dough. It won’t be pretty, it will be shaggy and sticky and uneven. Not to worry. As long as the flour is all combined, it is ready to go. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight, or as much as two days.
When ready to proceed, bring the dough to room temperature. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough to a 20-inch square. (The dough may be hard to work with on the first rolling, but it will get silkier and easier with each turn.) Fold the dough in thirds, as with a business letter. Turn the package 90 degrees counter-clockwise, so that the closed ends are to your left. Roll out again to a 20-inch square, and fold again, then turn. Repeat the process of rolling and turning 3 more times, 5 folds and turns in total. If the dough seems to be getting sticky or greasy, chill briefly in between turns.
Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using, or freeze for a later date.
Assembly
Make the browned butter by adding the butter to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until the butter separates and you can smell a nutty aroma. Let cool until solidified.
Combine sugars, zest, spices and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Brush the wells of a 12-cup muffin tin with a thin film of browned butter, using maybe 1 tablespoon in total. Set aside the rest. Coat the wells generously with granulated sugar, tapping out excess. Set aside.
On a lightly-floured work surface, roll your Danish dough (half the recipe above) to an 8x20-inch rectangle. Brush the remaining browned butter across the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the long sides. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly atop the butter. Press the sugar lightly into the dough. Starting from the long side closest to you, carefully roll the dough into a tight log. Once completely rolled, pinch the seam to seal. Turn the rolled dough onto its seam and cut into 12 equal portions. Turn each slice onto one of its flat sides, and press down lightly to level. Place slices in prepared pan. Set aside to rise in a warm, draft free spot until just about doubled in size, around 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F
Bake the buns until puffed and golden, around 20 minutes. Immediately turn the buns out onto another sheet pan. Carefully flip buns right side up, cool until just manageable to touch, around 5-10 minutes. Best served warm.
Recipe adapted from Seven Spoon's Sugar Bun Recipe
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