It’s a little after 7pm here and I’m wondering if a pink cinnamon bun would make a good dinner. Probably not. But two buns might.
What can I say, I like pink. I wear pink nail polish, use a pink phone and a pink diary. I have three pink handbags and am wearing pink now. I make pink buttercream frosting more often than any other coloured frosting. As I mentioned earlier this week, KitchenAid lent me a pretty pink Artisan Stand Mixer as part of their Pink October campaign so today I decided to bake up something else pink. I have to admit, since I received my own KitchenAid mixer last year I haven’t kneaded dough by hand once. Not pizza dough nor bread dough. It feels a bit like cheating but it does make the whole bread making process easier. And the KitchenAid dough hook does a good job!
I especially like pink when it’s for a good cause. Every year I aim to raise money for breast cancer research and support. I do a fun run each May and host or participate in at least one fund-raising event every October (although often the events creep into November too). I have a great circle of family and friends who often join me at the Mother’s Day Classic or donate generously each time I ask. I wish I’d kept an accurate tally because I think it’d be well over $5,000 and probably closer to $10,000 that we’ve raised through fun runs, Pink Ribbon Breakfasts and Girls’ Night In events over the past 10 years. I can’t thank everyone enough for their ongoing support.
Until there is a magic cure or preventative all we can do is keep funding the research and supporting the care of sufferers and survivors. And, most importantly, detect symptoms early. Check yourself or get your doctor to do it. And do it regularly. As many people have said to me lately, look after yourself.
Cinnamon Buns
Adapted from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
Makes 12 -16 rolls
Dough
Ingredients
6 ½ tablespoons (3.25 ounces) caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 ½ tablespoons (2.75 ounces) unsalted butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3 ½ cups (16 ounces) bread or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 ¼ cups whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar
Directions
Cream together the sugar, salt and butter on medium-high speed in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Whip in the egg until smooth.
Then add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball.
Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. (You may have to add a little flour or water while kneading to achieve this texture.)
Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave to rise for 2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
Dust bench with flour, then roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll.
With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 ¾ inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 1 ¼ inch thick for smaller buns.
Line one or more oven trays or pans with baking paper. Place the buns approximately ½ inch apart so that they aren’t touching but are close to one another.
Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with the oven rack in the middle shelf.
Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Topping
Ingredients
4 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons warm milk
Directions
Sift icing sugar into a bowl. Add vanilla and milk, whisking until the sugar is dissolved and a thick, smooth paste is formed. Add extra milk as needed.
When the buns have cooled slighty but are still warm, streak the glaze over them.
