Everything Morning Buns Recipes

MORNING BUNS

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the Dough: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large zipper-lock bag. Add the butter, seal and shake to evenly coat the butter. Press the air out of the bag and reseal. Roll over the bag several times with a rolling pin, shaking the bag after each roll, until the butter is pressed into large flakes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the sour cream, orange juice, water and egg yolk until combined.
• 2. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly to form a smooth, cohesive ball. Roll the dough into a 20x12-inch rectangle. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pat the cylinder flat into a 12x4-inch rectangle and transfer to a parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.
• 3. Prepare the Filling: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and grease with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugars, orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla.
• 4. Remove the dough from the freezer and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 20x12-inch rectangle and sprinkle evenly with the filling, leaving ½-inch border around the edges. Lightly press the filling into the dough. Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder and pinch lightly to seal the seam. Trim ½-inch of dough from each end and discard. Cut the cylinder into 12 equal pieces and transfer cut-side-up to the prepared muffin tin. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• 5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Once the oven reaches temperature, turn it off. Remove the muffin tin from the refrigerator and discard the plastic wrap. Place the buns in the turned-off oven until puffed and doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove the buns from the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake until the buns are deep golden brown, 40 to 50 additional minutes. Allow the buns to cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and remove the liners. The buns are best served warm, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
• Make Ahead: After placing the buns in the muffin tin, place the tin in the freezer until the buns are firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer the buns (with the liners) to a zipper-lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To finish, return the buns to a muffin tin and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours, then proceed with step #5.

BA'S BEST MORNING BUNS

Steps:

• Dough:
• Whisk yeast, 1 cup warm milk, and 1 tsp. honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment to combine, then let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add egg whites, 2 cups bread flour, and remaining 1/4 cup honey and beat with paddle on medium-high speed until mixture is very light and thick, about 3 minutes. Remove paddle, scrape mixture back into bottom of bowl, and sprinkle whole wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups bread flour over top (do not stir). Place bowl in a warm spot and let sit uncovered until mixture is bubbling up around flour, 30-40 minutes.
• Add salt, orange zest (if using), vanilla extract, 5 egg yolks, and remaining 1/4 cup cold milk to mixture and mix with dough hook on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Increase speed to medium and work dough until it is smooth, soft, and elastic and climbing up the hook, 8-10 minutes (it will clear the sides of the bowl but still stick slightly to the bottom; if after 5 minutes the dough is still very sticky, add bread flour a tablespoonful at a time until dough is just tacky). Reduce mixer speed to medium-low and add butter pieces one at a time, letting dough absorb butter completely before adding the next piece. This part takes a while, so be patient. Dough should be very smooth and slightly tacky and have a soft, buoyant texture. Cover and chill at least 8 hours and up to 16 hours.
• Filling and assembly:
• Cook brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, 1/4 cup honey, and 8 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, just until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool.
• Punch down dough and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, place 1 piece back into bowl, cover, and chill while you work. Roll out remaining piece of dough on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper to roughly a 16x12" rectangle. Spread half of brown sugar mixture over dough. Starting at side closest to you (make sure it's a long side) and using the parchment paper to help you, roll dough into a tight log. If dough gets too warm or sticky to work with, slide (with parchment) onto a baking sheet and chill until firm, then proceed. Place log, seam side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Chill until firm, 20-30 minutes.
• Repeat process with second half of dough and remaining brown sugar mixture. Spray cups of two 12-cup muffin pans with nonstick spray. Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Trim chilled dough logs about 1/2" from ends and cut each on a slight diagonal into 12 equal pieces. Place, cut side up, in prepared muffin pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature until puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25-35 minutes.
• Bake buns, rotating pans once left to right and front to back, until golden brown all over, 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 4 Tbsp. butter and remaining 1/4 cup honey in a small saucepan over low, stirring a bit, until smooth. Remove from heat.
• Pull buns out of oven and brush tops with butter mixture; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Transfer buns to a wire rack (if sugar cools in pan, it will harden and buns will stick); let cool.

MORNING BUNS

Steps:

• Remove 1 1/2 cups butter from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Stir 1 1/2 cups cold butter and 2 tablespoons flour together in a bowl with an electric mixer on slow speed until flour is just incorporated. Turn butter mixture out onto aluminum foil and shape into a 6-inch square. Wrap with aluminum foil and refrigerate.
• Dissolve yeast and 3 tablespoons white sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 3 cups flour, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and yeast mixture together in a bowl. Add remaining 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup at a time, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove dough and butter-flour square from refrigerator. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x10-inch square. Place unwrapped butter square on the diagonal in the center of the dough square. Fold dough corners to overlap in the center of the butter square. Pinch dough edges together to seal.
• Roll folded dough into an 8x18-inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds from long ends to the center, as if folding a letter. Roll and repeat the fold thirds folding process. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat the rolling, folding, and refrigerating process twice, and finish by refrigerating the dough for 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Stir 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, and 3 tablespoons together in a bowl.
• Brush 24 muffin cups with melted butter and sprinkle each cup with ground cinnamon, turning to coat sides of muffin cups.
• Roll dough into an 10x36-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Starting at the wide end, roll up the dough and pinch edge to seal. Cut roll into 24 pieces. Place pieces in prepared muffin pans; let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bun comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Roll the top of each bun in reserved 1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture and set on a wire rack to cool.