• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

STEMS & FORKS

Beautiful musings of flora and fare.

  • Home/Blog
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Awards and Accolades
  • Contact
  • Workshops
  • Gallery

Espresso Cinnamon Buns

April 19, 2018 By stemsandforks 26 Comments

When my Belgian husband Pierre first immigrated to Canada, he was taken aback by the coffee culture here in Canada. “I find it so bizarre that North Americans can guzzle down this watery, sad version of what you call coffee.” This is where I explained to him coffee here wasn’t just about functionality and flavour profile. There’s an enormous social and cultural undercurrent surrounding coffee here. “Let’s do coffee.” Synonymous to let’s gather. Let’s gather and talk about anything and everything which will potentially take more than a few minutes…in which case we’ll need a heaping cup of coffee and some dessert to go with it. 

Of course Pierre, who was accustomed to little espresso shots in Europe has finally acclimatized to the Canadian coffee culture. Now, he’s the biggest advocate for taking the time to enjoy an oversized mug of java over long and meaningful conversations with loved ones. It only took ten years…

And I suppose that’s where this virtual coffee party all started. The talented Nate of the Terminatetor Kitchen wanted to “do coffee” with a few international fellow food bloggers. What better way to celebrate and connect but through a coffee recipe.

So I invite you to call a few friends, gather, brew a pot of java, bake these buns (which by the way are SUBLIME) and “do coffee”. 

Check out some of the other amazing coffee inspired recipes by my fellow food bloggers below:

Alexcrumb • Vegan chocolate meringue pie

Ananás e Hortelã • Strawberry Rolls with White Chocolate Glaze

Black.White.Vivid • Emirati Sweet Dumplings with Coffee Syrup (Luqaimat)

Cloudy Kitchen • Tiramisu Sheet Cake

DisplacedHousewife • Banana Espresso Cake with Espresso Bean Buttercream

Feed Me With Amanda • Tea Infused Shortbread

Feed The Swimmers • Fudgy Espresso Sweet Potato and Black Bean Brownies with Hazelnuts

and a Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting

Flor de Cerejeira • Mocha Orange Entremet

Flour Covered Apron • Espresso Banana Muffins with Chocolate Espresso Glaze

From Scratch Mostly • Argentinian Dulce de Leche Churros, Dipped in Coffee Chocolate Sauce

Harvest & Honey • Mocha-Braised Pork & Polenta Bowls

HonestlyYUM • Cafe Con Tres Leches Cake

Love Olive • Breakfast Almond Pancakes with Coffee Syrup

Milk of Thy Kindness • Best and Easy Coffee & Avocado Indo Style

Stems & Forks • Espresso Cinnamon Buns

TermiNatetor Kitchen • Blueberry Creme Fraiche Coffee Cake

The Almond Eater • Mocha Tahini Fudge

The Cinnaman • espresso ricotta cheesecake with emirati date crumb (batheeth)

The Korean Vegan • Vegan Tiramisu

Bon app!

Espresso and Cinnamon Twist Buns
2018-04-19 16:42:01
Serves 8
Write a review
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
22 min
Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
22 min
FOR THE DOUGH
  1. 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar for the yeast
  2. 1 tablespoon traditional active dry yeast
  3. 1/3 cup milk
  4. 3 3/4 cups - 4 cups or 490 grams - 520 grams of all purpose flour
  5. 1 teaspoon salt
  6. 1/2 cup or 100 grams white granulated sugar
  7. 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
  8. 6 table spoons very soft room temperature unsalted butter
  9. 2 large eggs room temperature
FOR THE FILLING
  1. 1 stick or 1/2 cup or 115 grams of unsalted butter room temperature
  2. 3/4 cup or 175 grams brown sugar
  3. 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon powder
  4. 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (if its in flake form, put in ziploc and roll a rolling pin over it till it becomes a powder) Substitutes: instant coffee
GLAZE
  1. 1/4 cup heavy cream
FOR THE FROSTING
  1. 3 ounces or 85 grams cream cheese room temperature
  2. 1/4 cup or 55 grams unsalted butter room temperature
  3. 1 1/4 cup or 155 grams icing/powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Instructions for the dough
  2. Scald 1/3 cup milk in small sauce pan till small bubbles form at side of pan or until it reaches a temperature of 110-120 F and is very warm to the touch but not so hot that it’s unbearable to touch
  3. Gently stir in the teaspoon of sugar and tablespoon of yeast. Set aside to poof to double it’s size… about 8-10 minutes
  4. In stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix the buttermilk, the eggs, salt and 1/2 cup sugar with the 6 tablespoons of very soft room temperature butter… Don’t worry too much if the butter is lumpy.
  5. Once the yeast has poofed pour into the stand mixer bowl and stir for a few seconds
  6. Swap out the paddle attachment now with the hook attachment
  7. Add about half the flour in until shaggy and somewhat combined, then add the rest of the flour and knead for about 8 minutes on low speed.
  8. Dough should be smooth, shiny, tacky and stick to the bottom of the bowl (not the sides) don’t be tempted to keep adding flour. Only add more if it’s sticking to sides and bottom…and add a spoonful at a time only. Less is more here. If it’s too dry, add a spoon of milk
  9. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl keeping in mind the dough will double…cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm part of home…2 - 2 1/2 hours
  10. Line with parchment or generously butter a 12 inch baking pan or pizza pan (with no holes on the bottom. I used a pizza pan) and set aside
  11. In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon, brown sugar and espresso powder together and set aside
  12. Once the dough has risen to at least double, lightly dust a work surface with flour
  13. Punch dough down and transfer to counter. Take sharp serrated knife or dough scraper and cut the dough into 4 equal parts.
  14. Roll each of the pieces out in a rectangular shape about 8 inches by 12 inches
  15. Slather/spread about two tablespoons (from the half cup butter) on each rectangle using your fingers and leaving about half an inch on the edge of the entire border
  16. Sprinkle and spread about a quarter of the filling per rectangle and roll snuggly
  17. Not mandatory but very helpful at this point to chill the rolled dough for about 15 minutes before proceeding to next step - slightly chilled dough makes it easier to work with.
  18. Once all four have been rolled, take a very sharp serrated knife and cut down lengthwise centre and set aside
  19. You should have 8 tendrils now
  20. Refer to pics above for the following steps
  21. Take the tendril and bend at the center to make a “U”
  22. Twist/braid the the two 'legs' so they weave together
  23. Now starting from the center end, roll the weaved tendril all the way in a swirl motion.
  24. Once you’ve reached the end, tuck that tail under the bun
  25. Repeat with all 8 tendrils
  26. Arrange your rosy buns on your baking pan or pizza pan and completely cover with a damp cheesecloth or light kitchen towel (dampen cloths by soaking with water than wringing out excess water)
  27. Place in warm area for the second rise (until they’ve almost doubled in size) about 1 hour
  28. Preheat oven to 375 F and place rack to middle position in oven
  29. Brush on/pour over the 1/4 cup of cream all over the buns…make sure you use the entire 1/4 cup…its okay if it puddles between the buns…the liquid will get absorbed as it bakes
  30. Bake for 20-22 minutes…I usually tent mine with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes as my buns tend to brown rather quickly towards the end. All ovens vary, so keep an eye on your buns to avoid over browning!
  31. They are ready once the internal temperature in the center of the buns reads 185 F on a thermometer and no longer looks doughy.
  32. While the buns are baking, prepare the frosting
  33. With paddle attachment, beat the room temperature cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then add the butter and beat until fully incorporated (if it gets lumpy, blow a hair dryer over the frosting while it’s beating for a few seconds)
  34. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth and silky
HOW TO SERVE
  1. There are a few ways to serve with the frosting.
  2. You can slather the entire pan of buns with the frosting while they are still a bit warm (not hot)
  3. Probably the most appetizing, but also the messiest and unestheitcally pleasing as the frosting completely covers the beautiful rosette buns
  4. The other way to serve is by lightly drizzling the frosting over the buns with a spoon or fork once they’ve cooled and serving with a heaping dollup of extra frosting on the side.
  5. Or serve these buns as is with a side of frosting for dunking.
  6. Anyway you pick, it’ll all be super yummy and fun.
Notes
  1. If using a pizza pan to to bake buns, make sure you line the bottom of your oven with some aluminum foil as there could be some excess filling that spills over
  2. Buns are ideal same day they are baked. However, keeps well for up to 3 days wrapped or in an airtight container.
By Betty Binon
STEMS & FORKS https://www.stemsandforks.com/

Filed Under: Breads, Breakfast, Brioche, Family Favorites, Snacks

Previous Post: « Earl Grey, Sesame and Cassonade Weave Bread
Next Post: PARIS FOOD AND FLORAL WORKSHOP »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Esha says

    April 24, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    How stunning Betty. Love all the imagery. It all looks so dreamy 😍 And tell me about the North American Coffee culture🙈 which I haven’t yet understood. lol. Coffee or Tea in my culture is all about sitting together and having good time. Its about discussions. And it definitely in much shippable cups😉

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      April 25, 2018 at 12:22 pm

      So funny isn’t it. My parents as well were never coffee drinkers. Now its their thing. To hang in a cafe with friends while sipping on a large cup of coffee. Thanks for stopping by sweet Esha xx

      Reply
  2. Mallory says

    April 27, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    These are beautiful!
    Do you think I could chill the risen dough in the fridge overnight and quarter and rollout in the morning? Thinking of making these for a brunch and I would love to reduce the working time in the morning 🙂

    Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      April 27, 2018 at 6:38 pm

      Hi Mallory. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, this could be made to rise overnight. To cut your work time even more, pop in fridge for second rise. so after you’ve made the rosettes and placed in pan, cover well with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Hope you have a great brunch! And do tag me if you make them and you’re on instagram. Bon app!

      Reply
      • Allison says

        February 9, 2019 at 1:45 pm

        I have one more question! If I do the overnight rise in the fridge, do I have to do the first rise? Or can I skip both of the rises in the recipe (Steps #9 and #27) and only do one overnight fridge rise?

        Reply
        • stemsandforks says

          February 10, 2019 at 9:00 am

          Hi Allison,
          You still need to do step #9 of the first rise. But you can pass the second rise #27 by tightly wrapping with plastic and popping in fridge overnight. Before baking, make sure they come to room temperature…about 45 minutes! Thanks and have fun!!! xo Betty

          Reply
  3. anna says

    May 31, 2018 at 10:08 am

    I can’t stop looking at these photos Betty, they are just soooo gorgeous! Also, I will defo be trying this recipe out soon! Can’t wait!

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      August 3, 2018 at 4:12 pm

      Ooo Anna, So happy you like the pics! Let me know how it turns out. Fabulous I’m sure xoxo

      Reply
  4. allison says

    February 8, 2019 at 8:41 pm

    Hello! This looks amazing. Can you think of an alternative I could use to the 1/4 C cream? Thanks!

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      February 9, 2019 at 9:20 am

      Hi Allison,
      You can skip the cream if you don’t have any or you can substitute with 2 teaspoons of melted butter (just defrost or zap in microwave) mixed into whole or 2% milk. The cream really softens the buns…that said skipping it altogether will not effect the taste. Thanks for stopping by here xo Betty

      Reply
      • Allison says

        February 9, 2019 at 1:34 pm

        Thanks so much! Very helpful.

        Reply
  5. Stephanie Kanwischer says

    February 22, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    I have tried this recipe twice, and both times my dough barely rises… It gets maybe 25% bigger, certainly not anywhere near doubled. Any idea what’s not working?

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      February 22, 2019 at 4:13 pm

      Hi Stephanie,

      I’m so sorry to read. Can you tell me what your yeast looks like when it “poofs”. Does it look similar to the puffy froth on a cappuccino? If not there are several reasons:
      -your yeast is not working
      -milk wasn’t warm enough
      -milk was too hot
      -maybe the area where you’re letting the dough rise is cool. try a warmer area in the house or a trick is warm up your oven for a few minutes turn off, and pop the dough covered with plastic or a wet towel into the oven. This should speed things up.

      Feel free to email me directly for more help and tips. It’ll be faster. Thanks Stephanie!
      Betty

      Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      February 22, 2019 at 4:13 pm

      contact@stemsandforks.com

      Reply
  6. Sylvie | The Foodie Journey says

    April 16, 2019 at 6:16 pm

    These must be the most beautiful buns I have ever seen! Been originally from Belgium too, I can so relate to your husband haha!

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      June 1, 2019 at 6:43 pm

      Oh thank you for stopping by and for your kind words Sylvie. I’m sorry it took me so long to respond. My husband misses Belgium so much. We hope to go there soon! Have a great day. and thanks again.
      xo Betty

      Reply
  7. Ashley says

    April 20, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    Made them this morning. Very tatsty. My buns turned out way bigger than what the pictures show. I also used French vanilla instant coffee cause I was still unsure on how the espresso would taste for me. I will use the espresso next time for sure. Recipe was easy to follow and they turned out great other than be being bigger.

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      July 31, 2020 at 6:35 pm

      Ah sounds like they may have overproofed. But happy they turned out okay 🙂 xo Betty

      Reply
  8. Nicole says

    May 15, 2020 at 1:09 am

    I made these for a friends family, her children said they were magical and my friend said they were badass! They looked and tasted incredible! (Although I didn’t do the espresso filling, I did cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, nutmeg, ginger, and butter.) so amazing! I can’t wait to make them this Sunday for my coworkers. They also looked so beautiful.

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      July 31, 2020 at 6:35 pm

      That filling sounds incredible. Thrilled your friend and family liked them. Cheers,
      Betty

      Reply
  9. Ashley says

    May 23, 2020 at 3:21 pm

    Second time I’ve made these. Absolutely love them. Even doubled the batch so I could share with friends.

    Reply
    • stemsandforks says

      July 31, 2020 at 6:34 pm

      Ashley I’m so happy you liked them and even made them twice !
      Cheers,Betty

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Mocha Tahini Fudge | The Almond Eater says:
    April 20, 2018 at 4:01 am

    […] Stems & Forks •Espresso Cinnamon Buns […]

    Reply
  2. Espresso Banana Muffins + Chocolate Espresso Glaze | Flour Covered Apron says:
    April 20, 2018 at 6:47 am

    […] Stems & Forks • Espresso Cinnamon Buns […]

    Reply
  3. Mocha-Braised Pork & Polenta Bowls | Harvest and Honey says:
    April 20, 2018 at 8:38 am

    […] Stems & Forks • Espresso Cinnamon Buns […]

    Reply
  4. Tiramisu Sheet Cake - Cloudy Kitchen says:
    July 24, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    […] of Thy Kindness • Best and Easy Coffee & Avocado Indo StyleStems & Forks • Espresso Cinnamon BunsTermiNatetor Kitchen • Blueberry Creme Fraiche Coffee CakeThe Almond Eater • Mocha […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Stems & Forks Newsletter

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · stemsandforks.com · Disclaimer · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Contact