nothing fancy
The following image of my paternal grandmother comes to mind every time I make the cinnamon-raisin buns of my childhood, #1: seeing her stuff a bunch of paper napkin–swathed rum buns into her purse, purloined from the Sunday-dinner breadbasket of a neighborhood restaurant, scanning the scene to make sure that no one in charge knew what was going on.
That was decades ago, long before the “formal” doggie bag was created for a diner to take home whatever leftovers from a meal were desired. She never actually asked for the buns “to-go,” but simply expected someone to replace those that we ate along with our fried chicken or seafood dinner, so she could subsequently pilfer as many of them as she could fit into her fairly large pocketbook. My mother and I always thought that she chose a specific purse based on the restaurant selected—the place with the warm, soft rum buns usually got a mini luggage-size version brought along as the efficient delivery-to-home system. It was effective, for this purse was nearly big enough to qualify as an overnight bag. As the rolls were transferred, we looked the other way (and likewise hoped everyone else did) and rolled our eyes, a conceding gesture that meant, “That’s just Grandma.”
The pull and tug of nostalgia has prompted the development of these two head-on basic cinnamon-raisin bun recipes: the buttermilk yeast dough makes a resplendent sweet roll, as does the ring of golden yeast dough. I date the development of each formula back to the time when, about twenty-five years ago, I began to search for culinary connections that would somehow keep the memory of those who departed close by my side, if only to be linked through recipes. The #1 buns are cushy, reasonably plain, and far and away less complex than the madly delicious rich, richer, richest sticky buns. A small change in the icing, that of replacing some of the half-and-half with a little light or dark rum and marinating the raisins in 2 tablespoons of light or dark rum while the yeast dough is rising, will closely approximate the buns of my childhood, the very ones that, so fresh and plush, usually sag under their own weight when stacked. The cinnamon-raisin buns of my childhood, #2 are set into a ring mold, each right up against the next, and rise to form a circle of pull-apart rolls. This version would have been difficult for Grandma to put in her purse, but charms nonetheless.
The two recipes are, in their own singular ways, home-style, nothing fancy, and to-the-moon wonderful.
the cinnamon-raisin buns of my childhood, #1
serving: 15 sweet buns
ahead: best on baking day; or freeze for 3 weeks, defrost, bundle in aluminum foil, and reheat in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 10 minutes, then ice
buttermilk yeast dough
41/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup warm (105 to 110 degrees F) water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs
41/4 cups unsifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks, softened
1 cup dark seedless raisins
butter and cinnamon sugar filling
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup superfine sugar blended with 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the dough, stir together the yeast, the 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, and the warm water in a heatproof measuring cup. Allow the mixture to stand until swollen, 6 to 7 minutes.
In the meantime, place the buttermilk and the 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and warm until the sugar just begins to dissolve. The buttermilk is likely to separate slightly, and this is fine. Remove from the heat, whisk well, scrape into a medium-size heatproof mixing bowl, and let stand for 5 to 6 minutes to cool to tepid. Whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs. Blend in the yeast mixture.
Whisk 3 cups of the unbleached flour, the bleached flour, and the salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Add the yeast-egg-buttermilk mixture and stir to mix; the dough will be rough and shaggy and not come together entirely at this point. Set the bowl in place and attach the dough hook. Beat the dough on low speed until smooth (it will be sticky), about 3 minutes. From the remaining 11/4 cups unbleached flour, add 1/4 cup flour and beat for 1 minute. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on low speed to blend; after all of the butter has been incorporated, the dough will look silky, shiny, and moist, and still be sticky/pull-y. Add the remaining 1 cup unbleached flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating for 1 minute on low speed after each portion is added. Increase the speed to moderately low and beat the dough for 3 minutes. During the entire mixing process, stop the machine from time to time to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and the dough hook. After the final beating, the dough will clean the sides of the mixing bowl.
Scrape the dough into a bowl heavily coated with softened unsalted butter, lightly turn to coat all sides in a film of butter, make several cuts in the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors, cover tightly with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Lightly compress the dough with your fingertips or a rubber spatula, and let stand for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the raisins on the dough and fold the dough over on itself about 8 turns. Knead the dough in the bowl until the raisins are integrated.
Film the inside of a 12 by 8 by 3-inch baking pan with softened unsalted butter.
To form the buns, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a sheet measuring 15 by 15 inches. Using the filling ingredients, spread the softened butter on the surface of the rolled-out dough and sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar. Fold over about 1/2 inch of each side and pinch to seal. Roll the dough into a tight, thick jellyroll. Seal the long seam end by pinching it lightly between your thumb and forefinger. Gently roll-and-pull the roll lengthwise to elongate it to a length of 15 inches if it has contracted slightly during the rolling process. Cut the roll into 15 even-size slices, using a sharp chef’s knife. Let the slices stand for 10 minutes, then plump them into rounded mounds, making sure that the outer circle of dough is pinched taut: this step will allow the risen mounds to bake evenly. Place the spirals of dough in the prepared baking pan, assembling them in three rows of 5 each.
Cover the pan of buns loosely with a buttered sheet of food-safe plastic wrap. Let the buns rise at cool room temperature for 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk and beautifully swollen.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Remove and discard the sheet of plastic wrap covering the buns.
Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until set and a golden color on top. The buns will be lofty.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let stand for 5 minutes. Spoon and sweep the icing over the surface of the warm buns, spreading it carefully as it melts down. As soon as the icing sets (about 1 hour, more or less, depending on the temperature of your kitchen), you can detach the buns from one another and lift them out of the pan, using an offset spatula, for serving.
notes
• to complement the scent of cinnamon in the filling, I sometimes add 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to the flour mixture
• for a rummy scent to the sweet, toss the dark raisins in 2 tablespoons light or dark rum and let stand for 2 hours, uncovered, at room temperature while the dough is undergoing its first rise
• when assembling the spirals of dough in the pan, make sure that the edges of each sits up level against the neighboring ones; this will encourage an even rise and prevent a section of one bun from creeping under the side of another (and baking unevenly)
• the buns are arranged and baked in a 12 by 8 by 3-inch baking pan; a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan may be substituted, creating smaller buns and a larger yield (elongate the roll to 20 inches in length, cut into 20 slices, form into tight and plump spirals, and assemble four rows of 5 buns each), reducing the baking time by about 5 minutes
the cinnamon-raisin buns of my childhood, #2 ❊ a simple sweet roll icing
the cinnamon-raisin buns of my childhood, #2
serving: one ring of interconnected sweet buns, creating 12 pull-apart buns
ahead: best on baking day
ring of golden yeast dough
21/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup warm (105 to 110 degrees F) water
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size chunks, softened
4 cups unsifted bleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
butter, raisin, and cinnamon sugar filling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark seedless raisins
1 cup superfine sugar blended with 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the dough, stir together the yeast, the 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar, and the warm water in a heatproof measuring cup. Allow the mixture to stand until swollen, 6 to 7 minutes.
In the meantime, place the buttermilk and the 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan, set over low heat, and warm until the sugar just begins to dissolve. The buttermilk is likely to separate slightly, and this is fine. Remove from the heat, whisk well, scrape into a medium-size heatproof mixing bowl, and let stand for 5 to 6 minutes to cool to tepid. Whisk in the vanilla extract, whole eggs, egg yolks, and chunks of butter (the butter will stay in pieces at this time, but will be absorbed in a moment when the mixture, with the yeast blend, is introduced and mixed into the flour). Blend in the yeast mixture. Whisk the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast-egg-buttermilk mixture and stir to mix; the dough will be shaggy and in big, scraggly pieces at this point. Dump out the dough mixture onto a work surface and, with your hands, combine to create a dough. Knead the dough for 6 minutes. At this point, the dough should be smooth and resilient.
Scrape the dough into a bowl heavily coated with softened unsalted butter, lightly turn to coat all sides in a film of butter, make several cuts in the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors, cover tightly with a sheet of food-safe plastic wrap, and let rise at cool room temperature for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Lightly compress the dough with your fingertips or a rubber spatula. Lightly oil a large sheet of food-safe plastic wrap and wrap up the dough in it. Refrigerate the dough overnight, compressing it lightly after 2 hours.
Film the inside of a 10-inch ring mold (measuring 3 inches deep, with a capacity of 12 cups) with softened unsalted butter.
To form the sweet bun ring, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Remove and discard the plastic wrap. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to a sheet measuring 16 by 15 inches. Using the filling ingredients, spread the softened butter on the surface of the rolled-out dough and dot with the raisins. Sprinkle over the cinnamon sugar. Fold over about 1/2 inch of each side and pinch to seal. Roll the dough into a tight, thick jellyroll. Seal the long seam end by pinching it lightly between your thumb and forefinger. Gently roll-and-pull the roll lengthwise to elongate it to 18 inches. Cut the roll into 12 even-size slices, using a sharp chef’s knife. Place the sliced spirals side by side, with one side of the spiral facing up, in the prepared baking pan, making them fit snugly without overlapping the slices. You should see the circles of dough and filling, even if they fit tightly in the pan.
Cover the pan of buns loosely with a buttered sheet of food-safe plastic wrap. Let the buns rise at cool room temperature for 2 hours, or until almost doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F in advance of baking.
Remove and discard the sheet of plastic wrap covering the buns.
Bake the buns in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until set. The fully baked ring of buns will have pulled away slightly from the rounded edges of the baking pan.
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let stand for 7 to 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto another cooling rack, then invert again onto a heatproof serving dish to stand right side up (if you are icing and serving the sweet bread within 30 minutes). Spoon-and-sweep the icing over the surface of the warm buns, spreading it carefully as it melts down. Or, cool the ring for 30 minutes on a cooling rack, then drizzle a slightly thinner version of the icing (see notes) over the ring of buns, letting it form casual zigzags. Lovely! As soon as the icing sets, you can detach the buns from one another for serving.
• to make a simple sweet roll icing for drizzling, increase the amount of half-and-half in the recipe by 1 to 2 tablespoons to create an icing that flows thickly from the tip of a teaspoon
a simple sweet roll icing
serving: scant 1 cup
creamy icing
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into teaspoon-size chunks, softened
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift the confectioners’ sugar and salt into a medium-size mixing bowl. Add the chunks of butter, the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat the ingredients on low speed until smooth. Adjust the consistency, adding extra teaspoons of confectioners’ sugar or half teaspoons of half-and-half to arrive at an icing that is smooth and spreadable. Use the icing immediately on the freshly baked rolls.
notes
• for a rum-flavored icing, reduce the amount of half-and-half to 3 tablespoons and add 1 tablespoon light or dark rum along with it and the vanilla extract