Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Well, now, I do have a problem. I must apologize to Hungarian baker Grace Hasz, who in 1954 perfected the recipe for what became known as the UBC Cinnamon Bun. 

Bound for the oven: 

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns

Cooking has evolved since then - some might say for the better, some might say for the worse, some might say a little of each. So I started tinkering with Grace Hasz’s recipe, and Ron added his magic touch, and before you know it ... The UBC Cinnamon Bun has never tasted better! And so I’ve renamed these the Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns, simply because they are! Using both a sauce and a filling for these buns was Ron’s original idea. He truly deserves a blue ribbon for this outstanding creation.

I have just one photo of the finished product, at the end of this blog. That’s because my Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns fell like the sacking of Rome. We plucked up each bun as plunder, unable to stop eating. The few that remained, we gave away. The final photo in this post shows the very last one. So that’s how good they were! 

(While not as decadent or tasty, Quick Cinnamon Buns will offer a measure of satisfaction without the time these take.)

Best-Ever Cinnamon Buns:

To Prepare the Dough:

1-1/2 c. (375 mL) milk 

3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter or margarine 

1/2 c. (125 mL) cold water 

1 large egg 

4-1/2 c. (1.125 L) all-purpose flour, divided 

1 tbsp. (0.2 oz. or 8 g packet) quick-rise yeast (see Note)

3 tbsp. (45 mL) granulated sugar 

1-1/2 tsp. (7.2 mL) salt (do not reduce)

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, melted, for greasing pan

1/4 c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, softened, for brushing over dough

Recipe for Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns

Recipe for Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Heat milk in microwave or on stove-top almost to scalding. 

Melt butter in hot milk.

Remove from heat. Add butter, allowing to melt. Set aside and cool to room temperature. When milk-butter mixture has cooled, add water and egg, combining well. To large bowl, add 2-1/2 c. (675 mL)  flour, one packet quick-rise yeast, sugar, and salt, mixing well. Add combined liquids, beating well with spoon and then with clean hands. Add remaining 2 c. flour a little at a time, stirring well after  each addition. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, kneading 5 min. 

Knead 5 min. before letting dough rest.

Cover dough with clean, damp cloth, allowing to rest 10 min. 

While dough rests, grease a 13x9-in. pan with 1/4 c. melted butter or margarine. Chill to firm. Layer of butter or margarine in pan will prevent Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns from burning. Spread half this sauce over butter layer. Set pan aside and proceed with instructions for dough. 

Once dough has rested, roll into a rectangle measuring roughly 13x9-in. (33x23 cm) Leaving 1 in. (2.54 cm) unbuttered around edges, brush inside of dough with 1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine. Sprinkle with Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns. Working from long end, roll filled dough up and over itself. 

Roll filled dough tightly ...

Use dental floss to slice through rolled dough.

Slice dough into 3/4-to-1 in. (2-to-2.54 cm) pieces (see Further Note), laying each slice over Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns. Loosely cover sliced buns with waxed paper, allowing to double in size about 30 min. before spooning remaining sauce over top of buns. 

Bake 30 min., or until buns are baked through and sauce runs soft and gooey. These buns are excellent fresh from the oven or at room temperature. Invert the pan to release them with the maximum gooey sauce. Yields 18-to-20 buns.

Ready for ooey-gooey sauce ...unbeatable taste!

To Prepare the Sauce for Top and Bottom of Cinnamon Buns:

1 c. (250 mL) golden corn syrup

1/2 c. (125 mL) granulated sugar

1/3 c. (80 mL) butter or margarine, softened

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

3/4 tsp. (3.7 mL) nutmeg

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped raisins (optional)

Combine sauce ingredients, spooning half over firmed layer of butter or margarine in pan. Sauce will be thick. Set pan and remaining half of sauce aside.  

To Prepare the Filling for Center of Cinnamon Buns:

1/4 c. (60 mL) granulated sugar

2 tsp. (10 mL) cinnamon

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) nutmeg

1/3 c. (80 mL) chopped walnuts or raisins 

1/4 c. (60 mL) softened butter or margarine

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, or raisins. Sprinkle this mixture over softened butter or margarine you’ve previously spread over rectangle of dough.

Note: This recipe is not interchangeable with traditional yeast.

Further Note: The best way to slice rolled dough is not with a knife, but with dental floss. A knife compresses the dough, but dental floss looped and tightened under and over the dough will squeeze and release it into perfect slices. 

Deliciously tempting!