Seriously Amazing Bread Machine Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon Bun Dough for Bread Machine

***When working with yeast, make sure the water or milk are warm and not hot.  Hot will kill your yeast and your buns won't rise.  The perfect temp for yeast is "baby-bottle warm."

1 cup of warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tbsp. melted butter, 4 tbsp. warm water, 1/2 box dried vanilla pudding mix, 4 cups all purpose-flour, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 2 1/2 tsp. yeast.

Put the above ingredients into your bread machine in the order that the manufacturer suggests - usually it is liquid first, then dry ingredients and then yeast on top in middle of flour).  Close the lid and press the dough cycle. Time to relax until it is done - about 1/5 hours.

Once the dough is done, with a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a floured surface into a long rectangle.  

The dough will be super soft. 

The Secret to These Soft Cinnamon Buns....

You will use 1/2 a pack of the vanilla pudding mix!  Woo hoo!

 

Cinnamon Bun Filling

Now you are going to smear the rectangle dough with soft butter (about 6 tbsp.) like you are buttering a piece of bread, then you will sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar over top (or more if you like) and 2 tbsp. cinnamon all over top too.  Make sure you keep a 1-inch border all around the dough.  Then you will roll the long cinnamon roll up lengthwise, pinching the seam of the dough together.  Usually both ends of the rolled-up dough are misshaped.  I cut off the ends and just bake up those pieces for a little tester!

Slice 1 to 1 1/2 inch-thick cinnamon dough rounds and put them into a greased-up glass baking dish or 9-inch round baking dish, with just a little room in between all of the cinnamon rolls.

Now put the baking dish into a warm draft-free area and cover with a dry tea towel.  Let double in size (about 45 minutes to an hour.  If it takes longer to rise, no worries, it will rise!) and then pop into a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.

Cinnamon Bun Icing (optional of course)

7 tbsp. butter, 4 tbsp. Philly cream cheese, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, pinch of salt.

Beat the butter and Philly cream cheese first, then add the vanilla and continue beating.  Add the icing sugar and salt and beat until fluffy.  If too thick, stream a little milk into the icing and continue beating.

Spread icing over hot cinnamon buns.