Yeasted Cinnamon Buns

We had such great success with our Sourdough Cinnamon Buns that we thought we also needed a yeasted version as well! These have a buttery and caramelized top that make them irresistible. 

Yeasted Cinnamon Buns
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp (31g) butter
3 tbsp (37g) and 1 tsp (4g) sugar, separated
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 cup warm water
7g active dry yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4.5 cups (653g) Flourist Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour

Filling
1/3 cup (75g) butter, softened
1 cup (150g) brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (56g) butter, melted (for the bottom of the pan)

Heat milk in a saucepot until just warm. Add butter, 3 tbsp sugar, and salt and stir until butter is melted. Set aside and cool to lukewarm. 

Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in warm water. Scatter the yeast on top and let sit for a few minutes until the yeast has bloomed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, pour in the milk mixture and lightly beaten egg. Stir in dissolved yeast mixture. Scatter flour on top and stir on low to start mixing and gradually turn up to medium to get all the ingredients well incorporated until it forms a dough. If the dough is too loose, spoon a little bit of flour in at a time. 

Alternatively, you can combine the ingredients and turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a ball and place smooth side down in a large greased bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm spot at room temperature until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. 

Meanwhile, to make the filling, place all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined. The filling should be sandy.

When the dough has doubled in size, deflate it by gently punching it down with your fist. Place onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 1/4-inch thick (for maximum filling to dough ratio, otherwise, roll 1/2-inch thick) rectangle, with the long side in front of you. Keeping a consistent thickness is more important than a particular size. You can use a dough scraper to square off the edges while you roll to help maintain a rectangle shape. The more squared off the edges are, the more uniform your cinnamon buns will be. Dollop the filling all over the dough and use an offset spatula to carefully spread it everywhere, covering the entire rectangle all the way to the edges. It may seem like not enough filling at first, but be patient and it should spread all around. 

Starting from the long end closest to you (the bottom), roll the dough up away from you like a jelly roll, tightly, but not too tight.  Use a serrated knife and ruler to cut into 2-inch slices.

Pour the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter into the bottom of a rectangle 9x13-inch pan, and grease the sides of the pan. Arrange slices in the pan, leaving about 1 inch between rolls to give them room to expand.  If there are extra rolls, you can either put them in a greased muffin tin or greased loaf pan, depending on how many extra you have. Cover loosely with a tea towel and leave it in a warm place to rise and double in size, about 30-45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350°F and bake cinnamon buns for 35-45 minutes, or until golden. They should be set in the middle the rolls when pressed gently, but still have a little give. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a baking sheet and allow to cool.