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Soft & Sticky Vegan Cinnamon Buns

Soft & Sticky Vegan Cinnamon Buns

Soft, sweet, moist, and sticky vegan cinnamon buns are so good that you won’t be able to resist yourself. You won’t even realize how fast it gets finished and you will crave more. So, it would be better to double or triple the recipe because they are that good & addictive. They are a real treat. Worth a try!

Story Time

I never thought that I would bake cinnamon buns at home. But when we moved to Munich, Germany and I started seeing those perfectly layered and brown cinnamon buns in the bakeries and supermarkets, I couldn’t control myself. I could never buy from there because they were not vegetarian. I wanted eggless cinnamon buns. Imagine that you are surrounded by cinnamon buns which you can’t have 😀 That motivated me to try this recipe at home. & Oh my, I baked them over the weekend, they didn’t even last for two days of the weekend. And we are just two people at home. We finished the entire batch and still craving. I had to bake them again on Tuesday.

The best thing about cinnamon buns is that they are quite easy to make. They look difficult with all that kneading and rolling but I made them just perfect on my first trial. And I can guarantee you that if you follow the recipe, you will end up with an amazingly gooey, moist, perfectly layered sweet treat. They do need some time and effort to make but it is all worth it. You will bake them again and again. If you enjoy baking, you must try our other cakes & cookies.

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Tips to bake it right

  1. Room Temperature: Make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. It is very important in baking.
  2. Measure Accurately: Correctly measuring the ingredients is very important. Adding extra flour is one common mistake. Just fill your measuring cup with the flour and then level it off with a knife. If the wet ingredients are not measured well, the dough would be too soft and it would become difficult to roll.
  3. Sifting: Sift the flour. This ensures that there are no lumps in the dough.
  4. Over mixing: This is something that happens accidentally. Over mixing the dough makes these buns hard. If you are kneading by hand, knead until it becomes soft and smooth. If you are using a stand mixer, knead till it starts to leave the sides (not completely though). Touch the dough with your finger. If it doesn’t stick, that’s your clue to stop kneading.
  5. Milk Temperature: We add warm milk to activate the yeast. Make sure it is lukewarm – neither hot nor cold. If it is too hot, it will kill the yeast. If it is cold, it won’t activate the yeast. You should be able to put your finger in the milk. That’s another clue!
  6. Rolling: I prefer to roll the dough quite thin. I don’t like thick layers of the dough while enjoying this sweet delight, especially the outermost & the centermost edge. I roll it thin. It becomes a little difficult to handle but that’s okay for me. But if you are starting out, roll the dough till 1/2 cm thick. With this recipe, approximately 17 X 9 square inch sheet after rolling. It will be much easier to fold, cut, and place them on the baking tray.
  7. Filling: Do not overfill otherwise the filling will start to come out while baking and it would become messy. Just make sure that each spot of the rolled dough is covered. Don’t go overboard.
cinnamon buns

Easy Swaps

  1. Butter: I used the vegan butter from Naturli. You can use any vegan butter for this recipe. If you are not vegan, use any butter of your choice – salted or unsalted.
  2. Milk: I used Oatly Barista milk (Oat Milk) for this recipe. It is quite thick and just right for this recipe. But you can use the plant-based milk of your choice. If you are not vegan, you can use cow milk of your choice.
  3. Sugar: I used granulated brown sugar for the recipe because that is the one I found. But you can use dark or light or soft brown sugar too. I never tried with jaggery powder but hey, this world is your oyster 🙂
  4. Yeast: I used Dr. Oekter’s yeast (Instant yeast) because that is what I found here. It is quick good. But you can use any other brand. Back in India, I liked Gloripan Instant Yeast and Urban Platter yeast. You can buy any. They both are very good, just the difference in pricing I guess.
  5. Filling: I made the classic one with just sugar and cinnamon but you can add any chopped nuts – walnuts, pecans, hazelnut, or almonds.

How to store cinnamon buns?

You can store these cinnamon buns in an air-tight container and leave them on the countertop for at least 3 days (depending on the temperature at your place). You can easily refrigerate them for a week or 10 days. Put them in an airtight container otherwise, they might become dry. Reheat while serving. You can even put them in the freezer for up to a month and just reheat them while serving.

Having said that, they won’t last for more than a day. Trust me on this 😀

Cinnamon Bun Texture

The cinnamon buns will be soft and moist from the inside. You will be able to see those dough threads while you pull out the buns. You should be able to open each layer. The color of the buns from the top should be brown and not blonde.

cinnamon buns

Cinnamon Bun Toppings

Most people like cinnamon buns with sugar icing. But I feel that they are already quite sweet so I don’t add another layer of sugar on top. But if you want to try, you can top them up with this Icing:

Mix 1 Cup Powdered Sugar with some unsweetened oat milk (2 to 3 Tbsp) and 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract. Make a thick but easily pourable icing.

You can also just dust it off with some icing sugar for a little extra glam 🙂 I enjoy it with some mascarpone frosting or butter frosting. I make them a little runny but easily pourable using a spoon.

Is this recipe vegan?

Yes. It is a 100% vegan and plant-based recipe. I made this recipe to celebrate Veganuary, 2022.

If you want more vegan recipes, here are a few options: Banana Walnut Muffins, Mini Mango Cheesecake, Vegan Fudgy Brownie.

Tools Needed

  1. Stand Mixer
  2. Rolling Pin

Now you are all ready to make these vegan, soft, and moist cinnamon buns at home, with full confidence. It is perfect for your sweet cravings. So, grab all the ingredients, and let’s get baking.

If you like the recipe, please share the photo on Instagram and tag us too @marriedfriends. We love to see your recreation of our recipes.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Love from us

Richa & Jatin

Soft & Sticky Vegan Cinnamon Buns

Soft. Moist. Addictive.

Tell us what you think

Soft, sweet, and moist cinnamon buns. They are so addictive that baking a double or triple batch won't be a bad idea. 

It might look difficult but it is quite easy. It needs some time but it is all worth it. It is a Real Sweet Treat!

12

Servings

20 min

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

50 min

Total Time

Courses


Ingredients

Dough

Filling

Steps

Dough
  1. In a pan, add milk and butter. Heat till butter melts. 
  2. Make sure it is lukewarm while pouring over the yeast,
  3. In a cup, add yeast and sugar. Pour the lukewarm milk and butter mixture. Mix & let it rest for 5 minutes so that yeast gets activated.
  4. The yeast will form a frothy layer or bubbles on top.
  5. While the yeast is getting activated, in a stand mixer bowl, sift all-purpose flour.
  6. Add sugar and salt to it. Mix and combine the dry ingredients. 
  7. Put the bowl back onto the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Knead it at low speed while pouring the wet ingredients. 
  8. Once the dry and wet ingredients are well combined, knead on medium speed for around 7 to 10 minutes. 
  9. You can also knead using your hands. It will take 15 to 20 minutes. Knead until smooth.
  10. Once the dough is done, touch it using your finger. If it doesn't stick to your finger, it is done. 
  11. Take it out on the surface and slap & fold a couple of times. 
  12. Put it in a greased bowl. Cover using a cling wrap and place it in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until double in size. 
  13. After 45 minutes, punch it down and take out the dough on a large surface. Knead for a couple of minutes to escape the air bubbles. 
  14. Flour a large surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 1/2 cm thick rectangular shape (17*9 sq. inch). I prefer thin layers. Hence, I roll it quite thin. Pat the edges to avoid thick layers.
  15. Spread the melted butter all over. Just leave out a little on the edge far away from you. 
  16. Mix cinnamon powder & brown sugar in a bowl and sprinkle it all over the rolled dough. Make sure each spot is fully covered. 
  17. With the longest edge of the rectangular dough closest to you, begin to roll the dough into what resembles a very long sushi roll.
  18. Cut the rolled dough into 12 buns, about 1½ inches (3 cm) thick each. We did this by cutting the roll in half, then in half again, and then cutting each of those quarters into thirds.
  19. Place each bun into the greased baking dish, then cover with a cloth and let it rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.
  20. Preheat oven to 180 C, top/bottom setting.
  21. Place the baking tray in it and bake the cinnamon buns for 25 to 35 minutes or until the top is brown. 
  22. Once done, take them out and let them cool down. 
  23. If you want icing on top, apply it once they are just slightly warm.
  24. Enjoy this tasty treat :)

FAQs

How to store Cinnamon Buns?
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You can store these cinnamon buns in an air-tight container and leave them on the countertop for at least 3 days (depending on the temperature at your place). You can easily refrigerate them for a week or 10 days. Put them in an airtight container otherwise, they might become dry. Reheat while serving. You can even put them in the freezer for up to a month and just reheat them while serving. Having said that, they won’t last for more than a day. Trust me on this 😀

Can we over-mix the dough?
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Over-mixing and over-kneading the dough is the most common problem while baking bread, buns, or donuts. This is something that happens accidentally. Over-mixing the dough makes the bread, buns, or donuts hard. If you are kneading by hand, knead until it becomes soft and smooth. If you are using a stand mixer, knead till it starts to leave the sides (not completely though). Touch the dough with your finger. If it doesn’t stick, that’s your clue to stop.

Over-kneading takes all the air out of the dough and that is why the donut or any bread turns out to be less airy, less fluffy, or in general hard in texture.


Can we replace sugar with jaggery in this recipe?
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The classic cinnamon bun calls for a soft and dark brown sugar but if you don’t have that you can substitute it with granulated brown sugar too. If you are looking for a healthier option, you can use jaggery powder too. The taste and will be a little different but it is a good option to try.


How do you activate instant yeast?
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In a cup, add yeast and a little bit of sugar. Pour lukewarm water or milk into it. Let it rest for 5 minutes. If it forms bubbles on top or becomes frothy, it is well-activated. But if it doesn’t, chances are that the yeast is expired or you killed the yeast. Yeast gets killed by using hot water and it doesn’t activate on cold water. You should be able to place your finger in the liquid and not feel much of a difference. That is the right temperature to activate the yeast.

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