French Toast Cinnamon Buns From Nicola Lamb
These are the softest and most tender cinnamon buns you’ll ever have. Giving your buns the French toast treatment is probably the most luxurious thing you can do. I mean, who doesn’t want to have a custard bath? You can (and should) try applying this technique to any and all buns for extra squidginess.
Photo by Sam A. Harris
INGREDIENTS
Makes 10 to 12 buns
1x recipe Tangzhong bun dough (recipe below)
Egg wash
SPICED BUTTER
½ cup (120 grams) butter, softened
¼ cup (60 grams) demerara sugar
¼ cup (60 grams) light brown sugar, packed
¼–½ teaspoon (1–2 grams) flaky sea salt
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cardamom
2 teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon
CINNAMON BUN SOAK
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 grams) whole milk
2 (100 grams) whole eggs
2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated sugar
4 teaspoons (20 grams) dark spiced rum
1 vanilla pod, scraped
TANGY BUTTERSCOTCH ICING
½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, packed
4 teaspoons (20 grams) water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons (40 grams) butter
1 teaspoon dark spiced rum
Pinch of flaky salt
METHOD
Make the dough according to the tangzhong bun dough method in the recipe below. Press down the dough onto a tray, wrap well, and chill in the fridge overnight to proof. You can also place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to stop fermentation, followed by 1 hour in the fridge to chill until it is completely solid to forgo the overnight chill.
For the spiced butter, mix the soft butter with the demerara sugar, light brown sugar, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon until well combined. You don’t want it to be aerated. Set aside until ready to use. You can do this in advance as long as it is soft and spreadable when you use it.
To assemble, roll out the dough to about 16x10 inches. Spread 7 tablespoons (100 grams) of the spiced butter onto the dough and perform a letterfold/single fold. Fold the dough into thirds, crossing over in the middle. Wrap and put into the freezer for 10 minutes, or the fridge for 30 minutes, to firm up.
Turn the dough 90 degrees, then roll out the dough to about 16x10 inches again and spread with the rest of the spiced butter. Perform another letterfold/single fold. The dough will be 10x6 inches. Lengthen the dough so it is 12x6 inches.
Turn it 90 degrees, then cut it into 1¼-inch wide pieces, 2½–3 ounces (75–85 grams). To shape, cut three strips into each piece, leaving them attached at one end with 1 inch uncut so they are still connected. Braid the strips, then roll up the dough into a bun. Place into a cupcake pan, lightly cover, and proof for 1 hour or until puffy.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Gently brush the buns with egg wash and bake for 18–22 minutes, until golden. Let cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes.
For the soak, whisk together all the ingredients. This can be made 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge.
Remove the buns from the pan and place into your soaking custard—try to get them to absorb as much as possible, then place back into the pan.
Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Remove the buns from the pan carefully using an offset spatula (sometimes they can stick) and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
For the icing, heat the sugar, water, and vinegar on the stovetop for 1–2 minutes, until it is viciously bubbling. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter, rum, and salt. Let cool and thicken slightly, about 10 minutes, then drizzle the buns with the icing. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving.
The buns can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, then reheated at 350°F for 10 minutes
Tangzhong Bun Dough
INGREDIENTS
TANGZHONG
½ cup (120 grams) water
½ cup (120 grams) water
3 tablespoons (25 grams) bread flour
DOUGH
2½ tablespoons (35 grams) whole milk
2½ tablespoons (35 grams) whole milk
1 (50 grams) whole egg
1¾ cups plus 3 tablespoons (245 grams) bread flour
1⅓ teaspoons (4 grams) dry yeast
3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) fine salt
5 tablespoons (70 grams) butter, softened
METHOD
To make the tangzhong, off the heat whisk the water and flour together.
Cook over medium heat, whisking/stirring all the time, until it thickens. It will be very thick. Take off the heat and move it into the bowl of a stand mixer, allowing it to cool slightly. Too hot and you risk harming the yeast, so if you can comfortably touch it, that is good.
In the stand mixer, first add the liquids on top of the warm tangzhong, if using, followed by the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 8–10 minutes, until medium gluten development is reached—this is when you can pull on the dough and it stays together, but it is still quite fragile. You can take it further than this, but this is the minimum requirement before adding the butter.
Add the soft butter 1 teaspoon at a time with the mixer running. Mix until very smooth—6–8 minutes—and full gluten development is reached. This is when you can pull a thin, almost translucent layer with the dough. If you have not reached it by this stage, rest the dough for 5 minutes, then mix for another 5 minutes. Continue until full gluten development is reached.
Remove from the bowl and round it a few times on the work surface so it has a smooth surface. At this point, you can press it down and put it into the fridge to cold proof and shape the next day. Otherwise, move into a clean bowl, then let rest and rise for 1 hour, covered, or until puffy and doubled. Shape the dough as directed in the recipes.
NOTE: The water in the tangzhong can be replaced with equal parts milk and water or all milk. This makes the buns brown a little more and become slightly more tender.
From Sift: The Elements of Great Baking by Nicola Lamb. Reprinted by permission of Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.
