Quick and Easy Cinnamon Buns

I love cinnamon buns in the morning. The combination of cinnamon and coffee really does me in. But I’ve got three kids; time in the morning to make risen, yeast based cinnamon buns doesn’t exist. I need something fast, so usually I turn to muffins. Here in New England, though, we’ve got a tradition of biscuit making, dating back to feeding sailors on long voyages. And, someone along the way invented this olde timey biscuit based cinnamon bun. If you’re looking for a raised, yeasty, Cinnabon style cinnamon bun, this isn’t for you. If you want a cinnamon bun you can have ready in 1/2 an hour with ingredients probably already in your pantry, here’s the recipe.

NOTE: I DOUBLE everything for the rolls, ’cause I like BIG BUNS (and I cannot lie). I don’t like too much icing, so I don’t double that part. If you like your cinnamon buns smaller, like the size of those that come out of the grocery store fridge section, use as is.

Not a pretty picture, but it’s an iPod photo

For the rolls

• 2 cups baking mix (Bisquick, Jiffy, etc. Here in my house, we use Jiffy, as that’s what my Mom always used), plus extra for rolling
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tbps brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

For the icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• milk (if icing is too thick)

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix the baking mix and milk in a bowl. Throw some baking mix on your work surface (as you would when flouring a board). Use a little more than you think you need, as you’ll need to be rolling later, and you don’t want this stuff to stick. Turn out the mix onto the “floured” surface. Put some baking mix on your rolling pin, and roll out into a rectangle. The mix is sticky. If you’ve made biscuits, that’s the feel you want. If you’ve never made biscuits, it’s sticky and fairly wet. Don’t over work, and don’t make the mix too dry. When I make them (again, I double the mix), my rectangle is like 18″ by 10″. Once you’ve got your rectangle, schmear the softened butter onto it. Make sure the butter is pretty soft, nigh on melted. Too hard and you’ll tear your dough. After the butter is on, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over everything. Leave one of the long edges bare; you’ll need that bare edge to seal the dough.

Now for the rolling… Start rolling on the OPPOSITE side of the bare edge. Just sort of flop over a couple of inches or so. I start at one end, and work my way to the other. Do it again. About four rolls or so later, you should be done with a big log. Cut the log into the thickness you want. Again, I double my recipe, and cut them about 1.5″ thick. Put the rolls with cut sides facing up on a pan. I use stoneware pans, and they don’t need to be lubricated. If using a metal pan, you might want a touch. I put my rolls close together, but not touching. Bake 15 minutes. Don’t overbake.

For the icing, melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla and whisk. If it’s too thick, thin with a little milk. Go easy on the milk; a dribble will probably be all you need. 

After the rolls come out of the oven, wait 5 minutes before frosting. Enjoy!