Our gingerbread morning buns are the perfect holiday breakfast! We were obsessed with The Vanilla Bean Blog creator Sarah Kieffer’s brilliant idea to bake her cinnamon buns in copper soufflé molds. The copper’s superior conductive quality helps caramelize the sugary filling and produces perfect scrolls of pastry. Find more ways with gingerbread in our 2018 November/December issue!
Gingerbread Morning Buns
Makes 12
Ingredients
- 4⅔ cups (586 grams) all-purpose flour
- 4½ teaspoons (14 grams) active dry yeast
- 4 teaspoons (8 grams) ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground mace or
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground allspice
- 1½ cups (360 grams) whole milk
- 6 tablespoons (126 grams) unsulphured molasses
- ¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- Gingerbread Filling (recipe follows)
- Simple Glaze (recipe follows
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, yeast, ginger, cinnamon, salt, mace (or nutmeg), and allspice.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, stir together milk, molasses, and melted butter. Microwave on high until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°F (49°C) to 130°F (54°C). With mixer on low speed, add warm milk mixture to flour mixture, beating until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium, and beat for 2 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Brush 12 ramekins, jumbo muffin cups, or soufflé molds* with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar. Place dishes on a small sheet pan. (The filling tends to overflow a little.)
- Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Spread half of Gingerbread Filling onto dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Starting with one long side, roll dough into a log. Using a serrated knife, cut log into 6 (2½-inch-thick) slices. Repeat with remaining dough and remaining Gingerbread Filling. Place rolls in prepared pans. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°F/24°C) until doubled in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from molds or pans using a small offset spatula. Drizzle with Simple Glaze.
Notes
*We used Mauviel M’Passion Mini Copper Soufflé Molds
Gingerbread Filling
Makes 1½ cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2½ teaspoons(5grams) ground ginger
- 2½ teaspoons (5 grams) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground mace
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients
Simple Glaze
Makes 1½ cups
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup (60 grams) whole milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and milk.
