By the way...

I inagurated the roasting tin: what better to make than CINNAMON BUNS! And cinnamon buns for the extra lesson our fantastic teacher in immunology had offered to give us just before our exam, just to make sure we had things down right. When we'd finished the "real" lessons", he brought cake (almost like Julie does!), so me and one of the other students decided we had to do something for this last lesson.



People sorta hated did not like me for having the time to make cinnamon buns (courtesy of Nigella, again - they really are the best in my opinion) In reality, I used it as an excuse to not ponder my books too much at the last minute. It only confuses me more - you know, you get to the point where there's just no more room in your brain, eh? And it surely didn't stop anyone from eating them either!

Oh yes - and I just KNOW the sugar from these was what made sure I PASSED this exam too! YAY ME!!

Nigella's Cinnamon Buns from How to be a Domestic Goddess, with some minor adaptations

Makes about 18

For the dough:
600 g flour
100 g sugar
½ teaspoon salt
21 g (3 sachets) of easy-blend yeast or 45 g fresh yeast (I usually cut this amount in half, then let rise for double the time - I hate yeasty stuff! I've also succesfully used about 15 g of fresh yeast, then let it rise in the fridge over night)
100 g butter
400 ml milk
2 eggs

For the filling:
150 g soft, unsalted butter
150 g sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
(I usually make 1½ portion of this - the original recipe instructs you to use one third of the dough as a bottom layer, but I always skip that step and just make more buns - so I need the extra filling... Well, that, and I like them gooey!)

Icing sugar, for when the buns are cooled, if you are so inclined.

Roasting tin (33 cm x 24 cm) or a large brownie tin with baking parchment bottom and sides

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Melt the butter and whisk it into the milk and eggs, then stir it into the flour mixture. Mix to combine and then knead the dough either by hand or using the dough hook of a food mixer until its smooth and springy. Form into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it to rise for about 25 minutes (Or double the time if you're using half amount of yeast) I've also been told you can succesfully do this step in your breadmachine (I've never tried that personally, 'cause I don't have one)

Mix the filling ingredients in a small bowl.

Preheat the oven to 220C (Gas 8). Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, aiming to get a rectangle of roughly 50 x 25 cm. Spread the rectangle with the buttery cinnamon mixture. Try to get an even coverage on the whole of the dough. Roll it up from the longest side until you have a giant sausage.
Cut the roll into 3 cm slices which should make about 20 rounds. Sit the rounds in lines in the tin, swirly cut-side up. Don't worry if they don’t fit snugly together as they will swell and become puffy when they prove. Let them rise again for about 15 minutes to let them get duly puffy (or, again, for about 30 minutes if using half yeast)

Put in the hot oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, by which time the buns will have risen and will be golden-brown in colour.

I usually make this batch, but only bake about 4 or 6 and freeze the rest, un-baked. If you want to do this, then after you've cut up the assembled buns (before the second rise), you put them on a cutting board or some other flat item, stick them in the freezer and leave them there for a couple of hours. When they're frozen solid, transfer to plastic bags, for easier storage. Then, whenever you feel like a freshly baked cinnamon bun, pop a couple out of the bag, leave to defrost and rise at the same time in the pan you'll be baking them in (takes an hour, hour and a half depending on how warm your kitchen is), and bake as per usual instructions. Really not the worst thing you could have lying in your freezer, and for some reason, they're never there for that long.