Cinnamon Coffee Twists

What do cinnamon buns mean to you?

For me they remind me of the morning… The early, quiet part of the morning. The part where the light is soft and blue, and streaming through my window just enough to illuminate my kitchen.

Early morning baking might just be my favourite kind, and it’s perfect for things that require a little resting time – It’s perfect for things like cinnamon buns…

For me, cinnamon buns mean coffee, because I don’t know if there is any other way I would rather start into a warm, gooey cinnamon bun than with a steaming cup of coffee by my side.

That’s where the inspiration for these buns came from. My love for the combination of cinnamon and coffee. They are warm, pillowy soft little bundles of heavenly joy, and I can’t wait for you to give them a try for yourself.

Happy Baking lovelies.

KP xoxoxo

Coffee Cinnamon Twists

Things you need…
2 pckg dry instant yeast
1 cup whole milk, warm
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup butter, room temp
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Coffee Filling
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp vanilla

Coffee Glaze
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 tbsp espresso powder
3-4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

How to make…

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook add your yeast and a couple tsp of the sugar. Pour the warmed milk over the yeast and sugar and lightly whisk to combine. Allow your yeast to sit in the warm milk like this for 5-10 minutes to proof. When you come back to your yeast should be frothy – this indicates that your yeast is active and good to go. If you come back and your yeast hasn’t gotten frothy or foamed up, discard the contents in your bowl and start over with new fresh packages of yeast and proof again using the same technique.

Once you have proofed your yeast, add the remaining sugar to the mixture as well as the softened butter and turn your mixer onto low to begin combining the ingredients. Mix for a minute or so until the softened butter is broken up into chunks. Add your eggs and allow to mix until combined. Slowly begin to add your flour 1/2 cup at a time allow the flour to incorporate slightly before each addition.

Once you have added all of your flour, turn your mixer onto medium speed and allow it to mix the dough until a large smooth mass forms. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky, but not so wet that it is sticking to the sides of the bowl. If you find that your dough is sticking to the sides of your bowl, add a bit more flour 1 tbsp at a time until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Allow to turn on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl – it should be smooth and elastic. Knead with your hands for an additional 2 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Next, place your dough into a large greased bowl, lightly grease the top of your dough and cover with a dry tea towel. Set your dough aside to rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until doubled in size.** My oven has a warming function, so I usually set the warming function to low and let my dough sit in here to rise. If your oven has this feature, this is a great way to let your dough rise. If not, simply preheat your oven to about 200 degrees, shut it off and place the dough in there to rise as there will be enough residual heat in your oven to keep it nice a warm.

Coffee Filling

In a small mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and espresso powder until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, cinnamon and cocoa powder until combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Assembly

Preheat your oven to 350F and line one baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once your dough has risen, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, and roll each piece out into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Spread each rectangle with the coffee filling – about 2 heaping tbsp for each, leaving a 1/2 inch border at the bottom of each rectangle.

Roll each rectangle up jelly roll style, and pinch the bottom. Place each roll seam side down and slice each roll in half. Flip each half up so that the roll layers are facing up. Pinch the top two ends together and begin to twist the two ropes together and pinch the bottom two ends together. Roll into a spiral shape and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining rolls.

Space the rolls about 1/2 inch apart, and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rise for 20 minutes in a warm spot.

Once your twists have risen, gently brush the tops with egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Some of the filling might ooze out a bit onto the baking sheet, but don’t worry, you can just pull the buns away from from it to serve and then secretly eat the leftover caramelized goodness on the pan while nobody is looking.

While your buns are cooling, prepare your glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, espresso powder, vanilla and 3 tbsp of milk. If your glaze is too thick, add another 1 tbsp of milk.

Enjoy!