Apple Cinnamon Buns

Name: Apple Cinnamon Buns
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 225 ml Milk (warm); 50 gm Castor sugar; 15 gm Dried yeast; 1 Large egg; 400 gm Flour; 1 tbsp Baking powder; 1/4 tsp Salt; 90 gm Butter (soft); 30 gm Butter (soft); 40 gm Brown sugar; 1 tsp Cinnamon powder; 3 Apples (peeled, cored and chopped); 30 gm Butter; 100 gm Brown sugar; 1/4 tsp Salt; 2 tsp Cinnamon powder; 2 tsp Cornflour; 1 tsp Vanilla; 100 gm Cream cheese; 30 gm Butter (melted); 30 ml Maple syrup; 10 gm Bourbon/Milk

Fluffy cinnamon buns rolled with a caramel apple filling that is buttery, sweet and delicious. A yeasted bread dough recipe that is simple and comforting.

These Apple cinnamon buns are an absolute delight. They are light, fluffy, sweet and perfectly spiced with all the good stuff. This recipe is a not your everyday baking situation. I would recommend making this recipe over a weekend or for Christmas breakfast on Christmas morning. It is a family pleaser but if you don’t have many mouths to feed, these buns freeze up really well and for really long. Making for apple cinnamon buns on repeat whenever.

What ingredients do you need to make these Apple Cinnamon Buns?

For the dough we need flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar, milk, egg, butter. For the apple filling we need apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon powder, cornflour, salt, vanilla. The ingredients are straight forward and pantry friendly. To keep this vegan, replace the butter for a plant based butter spread, the egg white 50gm vegan yogurt and the milk for any nut milk.

What equipment of you need to make these Apple Cinnamon Buns?

I have used a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to make the dough but you don’t need one. I have even made these by hand and it works fine – however you would need a little extra elbow grease to knead it well. We will also need a sauté pan to make the filling. A rubber spatula as well. I like baking these in an 8×4 inch pan. You can use a 9×13 inch as well. The buns will just be a little more spread out.

How to make these Apple Cinnamon Buns?

We start by mixing the warm milk, sugar, yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let this rise until frothy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, egg and knead until combined. Add the butter and continue kneading on medium for 4-6 mins until silky smooth. If you are doing this by hand it would take around 10 mins to bring the dough together. Form into a ball, drizzle the bowl with oil, cover and rest for 1 hour. In the mean time lets make the filling. In a sauté pan add the butter, cinnamon and apples. Let them fry for a couple of minutes. We then add the sugar and let it melt completely. Once it starts to bubble a little, add the corn flour and stir well to ensure there are no flour pockets. Once it thickens, take off the heat and let the mixture cool in fridge.

The dough should have doubled in size by now, if it hasn’t, let it rise for more time. Turn the dough out onto a clean counter top and roll it out into rectangle shape around 10×15 inches. Mix the ingredients for the cinnamon butter in a bowl and spread it evenly on the dough. Add the cooled apple filling into the dough and spread it around. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 12 pieces, I use a sharp knife but dental floss also works. I like my buns huge so I cut mine into 9. Transfer your baking tin, cover and let them rise for 15 mins. Preheat the oven to 180℃ in the mean time. Once risen, bake for 25 mins until the top is golden and the the filling is bubbly. If it doesn’t have enough color you can bake it for a couple of mins more but don’t over bake them.

Optional – In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, maple syrup and vanilla together. Pour in the melted butter and bourbon. Stir well and use it as an icing for the buns on top. I would recommend icing the buns while they are warm as it melts into the swirl.

How to store these Apple Cinnamon Buns?

Once they are baked, let them cool completely and transfer them into a ziplock bag. Place int he freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, warm it in the microwave for 45-60 seconds until fluffy and soft. Serve with milk, coffee or have it on its own.

You can check out my Classic Cinnamon Buns recipe here. Now that we have covered how to make these Apple Cinnamon Buns, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more holiday baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.