Fastest Cinnamon Buns

Yields 12 buns.

To learn more, read:
Cinnamon Buns in Less Than an Hour
by Kathy Kingsley
from Fine Cooking
Issue 88
Last Edit Date: 5/20/2011 11:26:41 AM

For an extra-sweet touch, reserve some of the glaze to pass at the table, so people can drizzle a little more on each bun.

more about:

Cooking spray for the pan.

For the dough:

3/4 cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For the filling:

3/4 oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup (4 oz.) chopped pecans

For the glaze:

2-1/2 oz. (scant 2/3 cup) confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 Tbs. cold whole or low-fat milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Make the dough:

In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don’t overprocess). The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15-inch rectangle.

Make the filling:

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2-inch border unbuttered around the edges. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at a long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan; they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don’t worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a spatula around the inside edge of the pan and remove the springform ring. Transfer the rolls to a serving plate.

Make the glaze:

In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tbs. milk, and vanilla to make a smooth glaze. It should have a thick but pourable consistency, so add up to 1 Tbs. more milk if necessary. Drizzle the glaze over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes and serve.

Variations

Apple-Butter Cinnamon Buns: Instead of using the cinnamon-pecan filling in the main recipe, mix 3/4 cup apple butter, 1-1/2 Tbs. melted butter, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Omit the melted butter from the main recipe and spread the dough rectangle with the apple mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup (3 oz.) finely chopped walnuts, if desired. Roll, cut, bake, and ice as directed. Because this filling is wetter, the buns may need to bake for 30 minutes.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : per bun; Calories (kcal): 300; Fat (g): 13; Fat Calories (kcal): 120; Saturated Fat (g): 4.5; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 6; Carbohydrates (g): 40; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 290; Cholesterol (mg): 15; Fiber (g): 2;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by mowgli, 12/25/2012Yummy! We used hazelnuts instead of pecans and it was delicious. A wonderful addition to our Christmas breakfast .

by Phreddie, 11/12/2012My son and I made these this AM. I did not have cottage cheese so used Greek Plain Yogurt instead. They tasted great. Thank you for this quick recipe!

by TheMomChef, 6/17/2011Very, very good, especially considering this is a non-yeast dough. We loved the texture and flavor. Read my full review at: http://www.takingonmagazines.com/2011/06/fastest-ever-cinnamon-buns-from-best-of.html

by LucieLarenta, 4/5/2011Just wanted to drop you a note Kathy K. to tell you (like many many other reviews) how much I loved this recipe and the ease of the recipe. Keep baking - an remember not all can be pleased, but you DID please many with this yummy recipe. I will be making these for a Neighborhood Ladies Brunch I am having this upcoming Saturday Morning. Thank you again.

by filledhunnypot, 2/20/2011Well I seem to be the only one on this site who hated this recipe. I did everything it called for (including not pulsing the dough too much) and they still came out tough. The only saving grace was the filling, which was of course delicious. But as my dinner guest pointed out, I could have layered it onto a piece of stale bread and had the same results.

by Cindy3, 1/2/2011Can one make them a day in advance and then bake them the next morning?

by ddsmoose, 12/25/2010Rather good, used apple pie spice since I was out of all the spices! 2 teaspoons total and worked rather tasty. Used dental floss (unflavored) to cut the rolls and that always works great. Will make again for sure!

by ColleenCC, 12/13/2010I was amazed these were so good for a non-yeast roll! I might not even go back to the effort of yeast-type rolls... just because these are so fast and the results are THAT good. And even though I almost always end up tinkering with recipes there is nothing that I would tinker with here at all. They took 40min to make (and I am on the slow side), and the full 28 min to bake. Texture was really nice and yes, bread-like. They were delicious even without adding butter - and this is from someone who always used to make a very rich brioche-style dough cinnamon bun that took 3 days ahead to start. This will be my new go-to recipe.

by s_j, 10/30/2010Very good non yeast rolls. I used the recipe from Cook's Illus for glaze as recommended in another comment, and I used yogurt instead of cottage cheese based on what I had on hand and another comment. I can't compare, but I was very please with the results. oh, and I used 2 well buttered pie plates instead of a springform.

by cemmca, 9/3/2010

by CakeMonster, 8/24/2010This is an amazing recipe, it only takes an hour and they taste wonderful. Once I tried adding chocolate chips and they turned out well. I recommend these to everyone who wants the great taste of cinnamon buns without the wait.

by Capsy2, 4/24/2010These cinnamon rolls were excellent. Changed the recipe a little bit to work with the ingredients I had. Replaced the cottage cheese and buttermilk with sour cream and yogurt in the dough part. Also added a tad more flour and a teaspoon of white vinegar to help them rise a bit more. The vinegar interacts with the baking soda. Then for the frosting I used granulated sugar and heavy whipping cream and heated it in a sauce pan since I was out of confectioner sugar. They were incredible. Remember: just because you don't have all the ingedients doesn't mean you can't make a fabulous dish.

by Buttercup98, 3/7/2010My family absolutely loves these cinnamon rolls. Cooks Illustrated has a similar recipe: a quick, biscuit-based cinnamon roll. This recipe from Fine Cooking is more like yeast cinnamon rolls. The one thing I do like better from the CI recipe is the glaze. It utilized 2 tbs cream cheese and buttermilk in the glaze. It gives the icing a nice tanginess. But overall, these cinnamon rolls turned out exactly like the picture and they are wonderful. I highly reccommend them!

by woconnor, 1/7/2010Great Receipe and worked just as was said fast... used ricotta instead of cottage cheese & I did not think that it harmed it in any way . Will try cottage cheese the next time to just be sure. Family snapped them up real quick. So now they want the next batch.

by Tiroleanchef, 1/2/2010These were GREAT! Easy, fast, and delicious. I added a finely chopped apple, and the buns were devoured in no time. Making them again tomorrow for after church brunch.

by IL, 11/22/2009I've made these numerous times, including the apple butter variation. I wouldn't say that they are quick to make but definitely worth the effort as they always get rave reviews. They taste great whether prepared with lasagna-style cottage cheese or with dry, pressed cottage cheese moistened with some cream. Looking forward to trying the coconut almond version of the recipe.

by ShelbySomewhereElse, 9/13/2009These cinnomon rolls were amazing!! The best(and quickest) ive made from scratch. They took no time to make. I added dried cherries into the filling, and it was fantastic. The glaze waz perfect, will try a maple one for fall. Thanks for the terrific recipe!!

by joelkdouglas, 7/11/2009Fantastic cinnamon rolls--they rival my mother's "from scratch" cinnamon rolls. I find that high quality, fresh cinnamon makes a big difference (I use Penzey's Vietnamese Cassia). My first batch (with some pretty old cinnamon) was good, but not sharply good. Also, my food processor is not large enough to double the recipe, but I put in all ingredients less flour, and mix the flour in with the other dough ingredients in my stand mixer. I find it gives me pretty close to the same results. Thanks for Fine Cooking for giving me a recipe to rival the family one.

by BunnyCucina, 1/28/2009Insanely good. What a brilliant recipe. The dough was a joy to work with and the result even better than I imagined. I came to this recipe via the blog post at The Kitchn, so I followed their suggestion and used a 9-inch circular baking pan rather than digging out my springform. I greased with butter as I don't have any non-stick cooking spray. I also cut the sugar in the filling down to about half a cup and upped the cinnamon to @ 3 tsp, because I like it really cinnamony. Used walnuts instead of pecans because that's what I had. I put in just a pinch of nutmeg and allspice and didn't bother with the clove. I skipped the icing too. I like eating warm cinnamon buns with a pat of sweet butter.

by SusanCooks, 12/29/2008Great rolls. I used ricotta instead of cottage cheese & it worked well.

by liz121, 12/20/2008

by ak9doc, 11/10/2008This is a super recipe. It lives up to its billing in terms of speed once you've done it once or twice. It tastes terrific, and lends itself to multiple adaptations. It is quite tasty with a substitution of almond frangipane for the filling, and a touch of cardamom in the batter. Fabulous for a quick bite with friends on short notice, or for sucking up at work. :))

by rougueag, 1/3/2008Excellent and easy to make. I thought there would be a difference compared to yeast rolls I normally make for Christmas day. Family thought the buns were so good made the receipe again for New Years day.

by taller45, 1/2/2008These were fantastic - we used 1% cottage cheese instead of 4%. They went fast!

by cinnamon16, 10/17/2007

by Sadiecat, 10/10/2007These are perfect for special mornings and they don't take long at all. Everyone will be amazed when you whip these up in less than an hour.

by Judes, 9/29/2007It was amazing and played to rave reviews. I made a batch for the neighbours on the weekend and was asked if I could make another batch for mid-week.