curl me up

The rain kept stopping and starting, the sun teasing us between cloudy patches. So I made cinnamon buns. Risen atop the wood burning stove, and shared with our hillside neighbors.

Cinnamon Buns

dough -

one cup warm milk

half cup white sugar

two and a half teaspoon yeast

four and a half cups bread flour

one teaspoon salt

third of a cup melted butter

two eggs, beaten

filling -

one cup of soft brown sugar

third of a cup melted butter, plus extra

two and a half teaspoon ground cinnamon

one third of a cup raisins

zest of an orange + juice

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in milk. Set aside for a few minutes.

Place flour in large bowl, add salt, and make a well in the middle. Add in eggs, butter, and milk mix. Stir with a spoon until dough forms, easily coming away from the edges of the bowl. Turn out onto floured bench and knead for a good ten minutes. Place dough in a covered bowl and allow to rise for one hour or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 180C.

Roll out dough on a floured bench into a large rectangle, maybe use a wine bottle if you are missing a rolling pin. Mix ingredients for the filling, brush dough with extra butter, then spread sugar filling evenly, right to the edges. Roll up dough tightly, then slice into round sections. Grease baking tray, and place dough slices well spaced. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes until bubbly and golden.

I prefer them plain and sticky, no icing for me. A touch of citrus, orange keeps me going in the winter, and now it's sunny outside, trees still dripping.