Violet’s Cinnamon Buns, & July’s Cookbook Club Roundup
Happy Friday, friends! How the heck are you? I hope this post finds you well – with plans for a drink later, an outing for tomorrow, and hopefully a hankering for cinnamon buns on Sunday morning. If that’s the case, you’re in luck! I’m here today to share July’s Cookbook Club roundup with you, yes, but also to share my very favourite recipe of the month with you: Violet’s Cinnamon Buns. And lord knows this blog doesn’t need another cinnamon roll recipe – but that’s how good these babies are. They’re insane. They’re different enough to be unusual, but they’re also comfortingly familiar. You’ll love them too, I’m sure of it. Shall we get down to business?
As usual, I want to kick things off with the cookbook club roundup. In case you missed it, July focused solely on just two cookbooks, and I feel like I got to dig my heels in real good. I had hopes and dreams to make a few extra things from MotR – brunch brisket! buttery crackers! garlic loaf! – but the butchers conspired against me and I ran out of time. I plan on keeping those recipes in my back pocket for hopefully some time in the not so distant future. Other than that, July’s CBC went great! A lot of successful bakes/meals, with only a small amount of not-for-us results. I’ve scoured the internet for the recipes and actually managed to find them all – and they are, of course, linked below. All the details for Violet’s Cinnamon Buns under the roundup!
july’s cookbook club roundup
Molly on the Range
I’ve been obsessed with this book from the first moment I held it in my hands, and that’s even more true now than before. The majority of recipes I made this month were on the savoury side of life, but even bakers have to eat real food!
Brown Sugar Cookies // I liked these, but I don’t think I’d make them again. They were a little cakey, so I found myself under-baking them for a gooey inside.
Slow Cooker Goulash // if mine was a savoury blog, this would have been my favourite recipe of the month. Juicy, tender, flavoursome, perfection – it was honestly just delicious!
Labneh // huge success! I love a good spread, and this is such a satisfyingly tasty one. Very simple to make, just yogurt + lemon juice + salt! Especially delicious smeared on a freshly baked pita, just sayin’.
Sesame Pickles, from the Schnitzel Bao recipe // I am a big fan of all things pickled and these sesame pickled cucumbers were so different – in a good way! Woody and lightly spicy, very unusual!
Pita // di-vine! So fluffy and 100 times better than any store bought pita I’ve ever had. And surprisingly easy to make! Very little hassle and a lot of reward – worth it!
The Violet Bakery Cookbook
I took the expression “deep dive” to a whole other level with this cookbook! I jumped in head first and came out with some super delicious goodies. Not every single recipe was for me, but the ones that were: we adored.
Comte & Chutney Toastie // this just happened to be what we had in the fridge one day, but comte and chutney is never not a good idea. We love a fancy toastie!
Chipotle & Cheddar Corn Muffins // surprisingly, I loved these! We devoured a couple straight from the oven and have had great success reheating any frozen ones. Corn filled, cheesy, and with a little kick from the chipotle – yum!
Tomato & Marjoram Tart + Mozzarella & Potato Tart // these were sadly a no-go for us, but I must admit that I rather enjoyed the flaky pastry bases. Perhaps they’re more up your street than ours!
Egg-Yolk Chocolate Chip Cookies // these were good – but I didn’t love them. I feel a little sad about it because they get great reviews online, but Rav’s cookies have spoiled us.
Cinnamon Buns // our favourite recipe of the month! Allll the details below!
Walnut Praline Ice-Cream // I loved this so much I mixed it up and made it my own! Very easy, no-churn ice cream recipe.
Chocolate Sunken Souffle Cake // I rather enjoyed this, but Boyfriend thought it was too meringue-ey, in that you can taste the egg whites. It is reminiscent of – although, in our opinion, not as good as – my Kladdkaka.
Grandma Ptak Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing // everyone loved this recipe! I made cupcakes instead of a big cake and gifted them to friends and family. Many a glowing and grateful text was received! A very close second to the cinnamon buns!
Violet’s Cinnamon Buns
Now, it’s time to talk business: Violet’s Cinnamon Buns. I must confess – when I first read the recipe, I was skeptical of a cinnamon bun that doesn’t use yeast. In fact, I wasn’t even considering making them until I discovered that they’re a ‘Genius Recipe’. And let me tell you, the reviews on the genius recipe page are mixed, and I would say there are more bad than good. This intrigued me, and I simply had to try my hand at them. Obviously: we adored them.
Here’s the lowdown:
• they’re more biscuit/scone-like in texture than a traditional cinnamon roll. When I say biscuit, I mean more along the lines of an American buttermilk biscuit type texture. Slightly crispy on the outside and pillowy soft & buttery on the inside.
• they are loaded to high heaven with cinnamon flavour, and it’s amazing. There’s actually meant to be cardamom in the dough itself, but I subbed cinnamon to really rock the boat – best decision ever!
• the dough contains no sugar. All of the sugar in these bad boys comes from the filling and the finishing douse straight from the oven. This finishing douse is nothing to skimp on; the additional sugar is needed and is just the perfect amount.
• they freeze so well! As I said above, I wasn’t sure I’d love them, so I halved the recipe. Mistake! Make all 12, eat two straight from the oven – no judgment – and then freeze the rest. We’ve brought ours to room temp and then lightly reheated in the oven to wonderful results.
• because it’s more quick bread than yeasted bread, these only take an hour to make – all in. As in, if you start them right now, you could be eating a cinnamon bun in an hour. You’re welcome.
There we have it: Violet’s Cinnamon Buns. Worthy of all the internet praise, and probably deserving of even more. But don’t take my word for it – try them yourself!
Happy weekend! xo
PS! August’s Cookbook Club pick coming atcha on Sunday 🙂
Violet’s Cinnamon Buns
INGREDIENTS
for the filling
- 75 g salted butter
- 250 g light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
for the buns
- 560 g plain flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 240 g cold salted butter, cut into small cubes
- 300 g cold milk
- caster sugar , for finishing
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter; set aside.
make the filling
- Melt the butter and set aside. Keep it in a warm place so that it stays spreadable.
- In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon until smooth. Set aside.
make the buns
- In a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to combine all of the dry ingredients with the butter cubes until a coarse meal forms.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly pour the milk into the dough. The dough should form into a ball and not stick to the sides. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, gather it together, and leave to rest for 5-minutes.
- Gently do a letter fold with the dough, being careful not to overwork it. Leave to rest for 10-minutes.
to assemble
- On a large lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle about 5mm thick. Using a pastry brush, cover the entire surface of the dough with the melted butter. Before the butter cools onto the dough, cover the entire layer with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. It should feel extra and indulgent – that's just right.
- Starting at the long side, roll the dough up into a tight roll with the cinnamon & butter on the inside. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 equal slices. As you place each roll into the prepared muffin tin: peel back about 5cm of the loose end of pastry and fold it under the base of the roll. This helps to keep the filling inside the roll during the bake. Repeat with all of the rolls.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-minutes or until just a light golden brown in colour. As soon as they're out, invert the pan entirely to make sure they don't stick. Dip each roll into a bowl of caster sugar and leave to cool for 5-minutes before eating.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Please leave a comment & a rating below, or tag me on Instagram @imvcki. Thank you so much for supporting Passionate Baker!