Best Ever Cinnamon Buns (Soft Texture)

You've got to love a good bun and when that bun just so happens to be a soft pillowy cinnamon bun with cream cheese frosting, I might just say, I have seriously found the bun of my dreams.   For quite some time I've been looking for a recipe that made soft buns, like the ones you buy in the bakery.  Well, finally, I found the secret and it would appear that 1 package of vanilla pudding added to the dough of this recipe will guarantee, soft cinnamon buns.  I use my bread machine, but will add the recipe also for if you make the buns the old fashioned way.  You will love!!!

Cinnamon Bun Dough Recipe

Dough:  1/4 cup warm water, 1 cup milk, at room temp, 1 egg, well beaten, 4 tbsp. unsalted butter softened, 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 package of instant vanilla pudding mix, 1 tbsp. yeast.

Cinnamon Bun Filling

1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon, 4 tbsp. unsalted butter softened.

Cinnamon Bun Frosting

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tbsp. milk.

To make the dough, add dough ingredients in the order that your bread machine specifies.  Normally it is liquid in first, egg, flour ingredients, butter around the pan and then make a well or sprinkle yeast over top.  

If You Don't Have a Bread Machine

**If you don't have a bread machine, dissolve 2 1/4 tsp. or 1 envelope of active dry yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water.  After it activates, stir in the remaining ingredients, then cover the bowl and let the dough rise, covered, for about 45 minutes or until almost doubled in volume.  Follow the instructions above to finish the cinnamon buns. 

Time to Assemble

Once dough is ready-Freddy, lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out to a rectangle approximately 18X30 inches. 

To make the filling and assemble, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Spread softened butter over the dough, making sure it is soft enough to be spread evenly.  Sprinkle the sugar and the cinnamon mixture over the butter. 

Starting with one of the long ends, roll the dough up into a log.  Using regular sewing thread, cut pieces off the log at 2 1/2 inch intervals by slipping the thread under the log as it lies on the work surface, then pulling the two ends of the thread together so that it cuts through the dough.  You should have 12 rolls.

Grease two 9 by 9-inch baking pans and place the rolls 2 inches apart.  Cover each pan with a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour.  The edges of the rolls should stick to one another and the sides of the pans.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake rolls in the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. 

While the rolls are baking, make the frosting.  Cream the butter and the cream cheese until well blended.  Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon. 

Stir in 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar and blend it in well.  Continue to add the remaining 1 cup sugar in 1/2 cup intervals.

Add the milk to adjust the consistency.  You may need to add more if the mixture is too thick to spread.

Spread a portion of the frosting on each cinnamon roll as it comes out of the oven.

Delish!!!!!!