Morning Buns Recipes

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.

Steps:

• 1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large zipper lock bag. Add butter to bag, seal and shake to coat. Press air out of the bag and reseal. Roll over bag several times with rolling pin, shaking bag after each roll, until butter is pressed into large flakes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in sour cream, orange juice, water, and egg yolk until combined.
• 2. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead briefly to form smooth, cohesive ball. Roll dough into 20 by 12 inch rectangle. Starting at short edge, roll dough into tight cylinder. pat cylinder flat to 12 by 4 inch rectangle and transfer to parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 15 minutes.
• 3. Line 12 cup muffin tin with foil liners and grease liners with cooking spray. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla in a medium bowl.
• 4. Remove dough from freezer and place on lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 20 by 12 inch rectangle and sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2 inch border around edges. Staring at the long edge, roll dough into tight cylinder and pinch lightly to seal seams. trim 1/2 inch dough from each end and discard. Cut cylinder into 12 pieces and transfer, cut side up to prepared muffin cups. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
• 5. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 degrees, turn it off. Add 8x8 pan onto lower rack and fill with boiling water. Remove buns from refrigerator and discard plastic. Place buns in turned-off oven until puffed and doubled in size, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove buns & water pan from oven and heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake until buns being to rise, about 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until deep golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool buns in tins for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and discard liners. Serve warm.
• *To make ahead, Cooks country says to transfer filled muffin tin to freezer until buns are firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer buns with liners to zipper lock bag and freeze for up to 1 month. To finish, return buns to muffin tin and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Proceed with step 4.

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a 5-quart mixer. Let yeast become activated and foam, then add the milk solids, salt and 9 1/3 cups flour. Mix with dough hook until flour is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing as that causes rapid toughening of dough. Place dough mixture in airtight container with room for rising, and refrigerate at 38 to 40 degrees for 12 to 24 hours, punching down occasionally if dough rises too much.
• Rolling butter into dough: Place 1 pound unsalted (or lightly salted) butter into 5-quart mixer. Mix with paddle dough hook, gradually adding remaining 1/2 cup flour. Mix until butter is moderately soft but not creamy in texture. Too soft butter will not layer properly in dough.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto well-floured surface. Spread dough with hands into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Shape soft butter into 3-by-4 inch rectangle. Place butter in middle of dough. Envelope butter with dough, bringing dough from sides into middle without overlapping; then dough from top and bottom into middle, again without overlapping. Press envelope of dough down evenly with hands, preserving rectangular shape.
• Set aside to rest 15 to 20 minutes. (You may want to refrigerate the dough during the first rest period if butter is very soft.).
• Turn envelope of dough and butter onto its "tummy " with seams down. Using a large rolling pin, roll rectangle of dough down to 3/8 to 1/2-inch thickness uniformly. Fold in thirds.
• Turn the dough 90 degrees and place seam down on your rolling surface to rest 15 to 20 minutes more. Finally roll dough down again to 3/8 to 1/2-inch thickness. Fold in thirds. Place in a large plastic bag, carefully preserving its folded shape. Refrigerate 12 to 14 hours, again at 38 to 40 degrees.
• Roll croissant dough into rectangle 12 inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Relax by lifting with hands and let it contract on table surface. Length of dough determines the number of morning buns ultimately cut.
• Wet exposed surface lightly with mixture of egg and water (proportions are roughly 1 egg per 1 quart water).
• Spread brown sugar and cinnamon mixture (in proportions of 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon to 1 pound brown sugar) over entire surface of dough.
• Note: Too much moisture from either water or melting brown sugar can overwhelm the dough during the baking process. Water mixture is only to help sugar and cinnamon adhere to dough. The butter in the dough will melt into the sugar.
• Crimp long edge of dough closest to you as you begin to roll this dough up like a jelly roll into a tube. After having rolled your tube of dough, cut off slices 2 inches wide or to stand above your well-greased large muffin pans by 1/4 - 1/2 inch when placing them in cut side down.
• Bake immediately or refrigerate overnight before baking. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 35 to 50 minutes or until puffed and dark brown. Check for doneness in center of buns. They should spring back. (It is possible to invert buns onto flat tray and finish the last few minutes of baking upside down.).
• Let buns cool in pan a few minutes. Garnish buns by rolling them in white sugar and cinnamon in proportions of 1 pound granulated sugar to 2 1/4 tablespoons of cinnamon.
• Serve warm, within 4 hours, or freeze immediately to serve warm later. Makes 24 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.

Steps:

• Butter 20 cups of 2 standard muffin tins; dust with granulated sugar, tapping out excess. In a bowl, combine both sugars, zest, cinnamon, and salt.
• Divide chilled dough in half. Roll out one half (keep other half refrigerated) on a lightly floured surface into a 12-by-7-inch rectangle. Spread half of butter over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Sprinkle with half of cinnamon mixture (it will seem like a lot), patting to adhere. Starting on a long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Pinch edges to seal; trim ends. Cut into 10 disks. Place, cut-side down, in prepared tin. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Drape with buttered plastic wrap; let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake until golden brown, about 13 minutes. Brush tops with butter; toss rolls in granulated sugar. Let cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk sugar and orange zest in a small bowl.
• Carefully transfer 1 sheet of dough (keeping dough in 1 piece) to a flat work surface. Using your fingers, pinch perforated seams together. Cover with half of sugar mixture. Place second sheet of dough over, pinch perforated seams together, and cover with remaining sugar mixture.
• Tightly roll dough away from you to create a long tube. Slice crosswise into 8 even rounds. Transfer rounds, cut side up, to muffin tin.
• Bake buns until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Transfer immediately to a wire rack and let cool.

Steps:

• Toast the pistachios: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter the pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, shaking once, until they're golden brown and nutty smelling, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Very finely chop the pistachios or crush them beneath a heavy pot, and set aside.
• Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, cardamom and salt, and mix with your fingertips, rubbing in the lemon zest until the mixture is fragrant and well combined. Set aside 1/4 cup of the mixture for sprinkling over the baked buns, then combine the remaining sugar mixture with the chopped pistachios and set aside.
• Combine 1/2 cup butter and the honey in a small saucepan, and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Prepare the pans: Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of room temperature butter, then set the pan aside.
• Roll out the dough: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and uncover. Scrape the dough from the bowl and place on the work surface. Use the heel of your hand to knock out the gas and deflate the risen dough, which will be quite firm. Dust underneath and on top of the dough with a bit of flour, then roll it out into a rectangle measuring about 22 inches long, 12 inches wide, and a scant 1/4 inch thick, dusting with more flour if necessary to prevent sticking. Try to work quickly to prevent the dough from warming, which will make it harder to slice the buns.
• Fill and form the buns: Dust off any excess flour, then brush the entire surface of the dough with all but 3 tablespoons of the honey butter mixture. (Reserve the remaining honey butter mixture for brushing over the baked buns.) Sprinkle the pistachio mixture evenly across the surface, pressing it gently into the dough so it adheres. Starting at one of the longer sides, roll the dough into a tight log. If the dough seems very soft, slide the log onto a baking sheet and chill until firm enough to slice, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a serrated knife to slice off the ends of the log, then cut it crosswise into three even sections. Cut each section into five even pieces, so you have 15 total. Arrange each piece cut side up in the prepared baking dish, forming a 3-by-5 grid.
• Proof the buns: Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the buns are all touching, very puffed, and about doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake the buns: Uncover the pan and transfer the buns to the oven. Bake, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes, until the buns are golden brown all over, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the reserved honey butter. Sprinkle the reserved sugar mixture evenly over top, then let the buns cool completely in the pan.
• Serve: Use a small serrated knife to cut between the buns and all around the pan, then lift them out one at a time.

Steps:

• Make the berry compote: Add the berries and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and use a wooden spoon to muddle and mash the fruit. Continue cooking for 10-12 minutes, occasionally stirring and mashing the berries, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Transfer the compote to a heat-proof container and let cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Make the almond paste: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Spread the sliced almonds in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for about 5 minutes, or until the almonds just begin to turn golden brown.
• In a food processor, combine the toasted almonds, flour, brown sugar, and salt. Pulse until the almonds break down to medium crumbs. Add the butter and process until a smooth paste forms. Add the egg and vanilla and continue to process until the egg is fully incorporated. Transfer the almond paste to a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 week.
• Make the dough: Add the warm milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let sit for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is frothy.
• Add the eggs, melted butter, salt, and brown sugar and mix on medium-low speed to combine. Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
• After resting, scrape the dough off the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook to the mixer. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, adding up to ½ cup more flour if needed to form a smooth and elastic dough. The dough should not be sticky, but may still stick to the sides of the bowl slightly.
• Grease a large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• Turn out the dough onto a generously floured surface and flour a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to a roughly 18 × 14-inch rectangle. Spread the almond paste over the dough, all the way to the edges. Top with the berry compote, spreading evenly. Starting from a long end, roll the dough up tightly. Transfer the roll to the refrigerator for 30 minutes (this will make cutting easier).
• Use a serrated knife to cut the dough roll into even 9 pieces, then transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover the pan with a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, or until expanded slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Add the heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds, until warm, but not scalding.
• Once the rolls have risen, pour the heavy cream over the top of the rolls, allowing it to soak into and around the rolls.
• Bake the rolls for 20-22 minutes, until light golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
• While the rolls are baking, make the frosting: Add the butter and cream cheese to a medium bowl. Cream with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until light and airy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed to combine. Add the vanilla and mix on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes, until the frosting is fluffy.
• Spread the frosting over the rolls, then top with sliced almonds and more berries.
• Enjoy!