Maple Glazed Cast Iron Cinnamon Buns

Hello, it’s Heather Hands from The Flourishing Foodie. I’ve been eagerly awaiting the chance to share this recipe with you. Soft, tender, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon buns. Guaranteed, once you place these buns in the oven, the smell of cinnamon, sugar, and yeast, will have you mesmerized, counting down the seconds until you can sink your teeth into one of these sweet tender morsels.

I have a little confession. It was actually my husband (Mr. H) who taught me how to make
cinnamon buns. Before I met him, embarrassingly, the closest I ever came to making one was adding extra cream cheese icing to my Cinnabon at the mall. When I was feeling a little self-indulgent, I would saunter over to the mall, sit down and devour the whole thing shamelessly. I’m excited to say that I can now make my own, and the best part, they taste even better.

 Trying to one up Mr. H, I thought it would be fun to try and bake them in a cast iron skillet, adding a little twist to an already amazing dessert. I found a great recipe a couple of months back, tweaked a few things, reducing the amount of flour, and created my own maple sugar glaze. I added a few flakes of salt to the icing, which complements the sweetness nicely. The brown butter gives the buns a sweet nutty flavor. I used the leftover butter to brush the pan, and when the cinnamon sugar pools on the bottom, it transforms into a magical sticky sugary glaze on the bottom of the buns.


This recipe is fairly easy, but requires a couple of hours for rising. I like to use this time to get
caught up on house chores, laundry, skimming through food magazines, etc. The most difficult part of the recipe is slicing through the dough once you have rolled it up tightly. Some people suggest using a piece of dental floss. My cupboard is stocked with mint-flavoured, so I used a sharp serrated knife instead. Once you place these buns in the oven to bake, the smell of cinnamon and sugar will fill the air. This recipe has made it into my favorites list, and is always a huge hit with family and friends. I hope you enjoy!

MAPLE GLAZED CAST IRON CINNAMON BUN RECIPE
make 10 - 12 buns
recipe adapted from A Peaceful Dwelling

INGREDIENTS
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast
2 tbsp white sugar
1 cup warm water (105 - 115 ºF)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup bread flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp vanilla
¼ cup butter, browned
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

ICING INGREDIENTS
8 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
⅓ cup powdered sugar
⅓  maple syrup
½ tsp flake or kosher salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast and 2 tbsp sugar. Gently pour the warm water over the sugar yeast mixture ensuring that you cover. Let it sit for 5 minutes to proof the yeast. The
yeast has proofed when it has foamed.

2. In a medium size bowl, add the flours, sugar, and salt. Combine with a wire whisk and set to the side. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork and then whisk in the oil and vanilla. Add to the bowl containing  the yeast.

3. With the dough hook attachment set to low, slowly add the flour to the yeast mixture. You will need to stop the stand mixer to scrape down the sides with a spatula periodically. Once you have added all of the flour, continue to knead the dough for a minute or so until smooth and elastic.

4. Grease a large clean bowl with a bit of oil. Cover your hands with flour, and pat the outsides of the dough with flour. Smooth the flour around the entire surface of the dough. This will make it
easier to transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Roll the dough around the bowl to coat with oil.
Place a piece of Saran wrap on top, and poke holes. Let the dough rise and double in size in a
warm area. This should take 1 - 1 ½ hours.

5. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and let it rise for 20 minutes more. While the dough is rising, place ¼ cup butter in a large deep saucepan on medium heat. The butter should eventually start to foam. Once the foam has subsided, the butter will start to turn brown. Take the pan off the stove when the butter turns light brown.


6. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it on a well floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle 10” by 18”. Brush the
dough with the brown butter and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar covering the entire surface
except a ½ inch gap along one of the 18” sides. Roll the dough tightly ending with the ½ inch gap
with no sugar. With the seam facing down, cut the roll into 1 ½ inch slices.

7. Take the remaining brown butter and grease the cast iron pan. Place the cinnamon rolls face down in the pan making sure they all touch. Cover the pan and let the rolls rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place the cast iron pan in the oven. Fill a baking dish up with water
and place it on the bottom shelf. Bake for 25 minutes or until the rolls have turned light brown on top. Do not overbake. Remove from the oven and set to the side.

8. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and salt. Whip until combined. Cover the cinnamon buns with the cream cheese icing when you are about to serve. They will keep best in the fridge if
they are not covered with the icing. Keep the icing stored in a plastic tub for up to a week.

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Oh. my. word. Are you drooling like I am? From one Heather who loves food to another, thank you for sharing this glorious recipe with us! Yes, I think we can all agree that it deserves that adjective. Be sure to check out Heather's blog, The Flourishing Foodie,  for more recipes and some of the best food photography on the web.