Cinnamon Buns, a College Care Package & a Giveaway!

This is the second post in the series of my professional collaboration with Red Star Yeast. It fits beautifully with my love for breakfast and brunch pastries. As you already know from my first post in the series, Marbled Rye Bread, I mostly like baking with yeast. More importantly I decided to bake cinnamon buns for my beautiful son away in college. He would be so happy to get this care package with his binoculars for his Natural Resources Conservation field work, some folders he had at home, granola I packed in individual small bags as snacks and these cinnamon buns. He will probably share the buns and granola with his roommate and floor buddies. He's got a generous spirit and a big heart. He is proud of my 'concoctions' and thrives on company, so feasting together and sharing  makes him so happy, even when I say save some for yourself for the next day.
As we were driving our son back to college a couple weeks back, somehow the subject of cinnamon buns came up. He said he first had them as a freshman in high school, while at the Miami airport, traveling with his soccer buddies to a soccer tournament in Buenos Aires. He had no clue what they were before his friends ordered them. I was always concerned about his allergies, but it never crossed my mind to bake cinnamon buns, at home, while he was growing up. I am so happy to make up for lost time and add these to my repertoire.
The dough was so supple, I was in heaven baking in my kitchen! I found I needed all the flour that was called for in the recipe and the dough still came out super soft and luscious. Red Star is celebrating a week long sweet yeasted doughs and I'm happy to contribute these Cinnamon Buns to the celebration. Feel free to add your sweet yeasted dough posts to Red Star's Facebook page and join the fun.
Cinnamon Buns just before going into the oven
I used two flat teaspoons of salt and in the filling I used Sugar in the Raw instead of brown sugar. If you wish to keep this recipe dairy free, use oil instead of the butter and substitute water for the milk. I also found that the bottom of a cookie sheet was a perfect 15X10 inch rectangle so I rolled out the dough on the back of the cookie sheet. I recommend using larger 10X15X2 pans to leave a bit of a space in between the buns when placed in the baking dishes. That way the buns have space to expand while rising and during baking and the dough will thoroughly bake and won't stay raw. My batch made 32 cinnamon buns.
Photo courtesy of Red Star
Red Star Yeast generously offered this 'basket' of baking goodies to one lucky Food Wanderings' reader.

The giveaway includes as illustrated in the photograph above:
1. Red Star Gourmet Embossed Bread Pan
2. Red Star 3 Packets of Active Dry Yeast
3. Red Star Flexible Cutting/Kneading Board
4. Red Star 'I Knead to be Loaved' Apron
5. Red Star 'The Kneaded Loaf' Baking Book

To qualify for the giveaway
1. Please follow @RedStarYeast on twitter.
2. Please LIKE Red Star Yeast's Facebook page.
3. Please tweet this post or post on your Facebook page: "Cinnamon Buns, a College Care Package and a @RedStarYeast #GIVEAWAY by @Foodwanderings http://bit.ly/wrG2Ms"

4. Please leave up to 3 comments only. Share with us your favorite yeast recipe whether a favorite of yours or from Red Star Yeast's site.

Contest open to anyone with a US or a Canadian address.

Enter you comments by Wednesday February 8, 2012 at midnight. Drawing will be done by random.org on Thursday February 9, 2012. Lucky winner will be contacted by mail.

Cinnamon Buns
Makes 32
adapted from Red Star Yeast's original recipe

White Bread Recipe:
2 cups water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup melted butter or canola oil
6 3/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (3 1/4oz packets)
8 cups bread flour
2 scant teaspoons salt

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk or water

1. Grease two 10X15X2 inch baking pans and set aside
2. In large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in warm (110-115°F) water. Stir in Yeast; let stand for 10-20 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk in milk (110-115°F), sugar, egg and butter.
3. Add 3 cups flour and salt; mix until smooth. Move mixture at this point to a mixer with a hook attachment and add another 4+1/2 cups flour. Stir on low until well mixed. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup flour to make soft dough. Knead dough on low setting for about 8 - 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. You will need to scrape dough off the hook occasionally while kneading. Cover; let rest in warm place 10 minutes.
4. In small bowl, combine sugars and cinnamon; set aside.
5. After 20 minute rising of dough, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 portions. Roll a portion of dough into 15 x 10-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll up tightly as for jelly roll, beginning at wide side. Pinch seam to seal. With sharp knife, slice roll into 1½ -inch pieces. Place cut sides up in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough portions. Cover and let rise in warm place until indentation remains after lightly touching, about about 45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 20 minutes or until done. Let cinnamon buns cool in pans before removing. In small bowl, combine icing sugar and milk; stir until smooth. Drizzle warm rolls with glaze.

83 comments:

  1. Those rolls look great - my favorite yeast recipe would be cinnamon rolls but the one I use the most - pizza crust!

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  2. Looks fantastic! :) So many swirls! Great care packet, too.

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  3. Those look amazing. I tend to love pretty much any kind of yeast breads, some turn out better than others. I definitely make pizza dough the most often though!

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  4. Gorgeous buns! Those look perfect and so tempting.

    Lovely giveaway too!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. Gorgeous cinnamon buns!! Your son is going to absolutely love them, you're such a sweet mom :D

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  6. Oh... your cinnamon rolls are just beautiful! I can almost taste them... Your son is lucky indeed. I have a feeling he's going to request them often!

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  7. Beautiful cinnamon rolls! I also use many of Red Star Yeast's recipes and it is hard to pick my favorite. I always have good results with them and they are so delicious too!

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  8. I follow @RedStarYeast on twitter. My twitter handle is @reneedobbs

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  9. I like Red Star Yeast's page on facebook

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  10. I love how Cinnamon Buns/Rolls look like roses from the top :)

    I've 'liked' Red Star Yeast's Facebook page..

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  11. I now follow @RedStarYeast on Twitter..

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  12. I've never baked breads or anything with yeast, so I'd like to try Focaccia recipe from Red Star Yeast's site since it's simple & eggless! Apple Cinnamon Raisin Bread interests me too :)

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  13. The cinnamon buns look DELICIOUS, Shulie. Your son & his friends will be thrilled with the care package!

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  14. cinnamon buns look fabulous! how is your son managing in college with the dorm food with his allergies? sometimes i wonder how i would have survived back then... (since my allergies came about 3 years ago!). hope you are well!

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  15. Following Red Star on Twitter.

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  16. I loved the pictures and you have made them beautifully :)
    After making this Braided Challah bread, this is my go-to for impressing my guests - http://www.rookieqookie.com/2011/06/braided-challah-bread-on-sombre.html

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  17. What a delicious care package. Sagie is so lucky and I am sure he was proud to show off your baking talent. A super giveaway from Red Star Yeast:) Can't wait to try this recipe because we love cinnamon buns.:)

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  18. These look fabulous, Shulie! I'm so glad I don't have these around my house, though... I have no will power.

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  19. i follow red star on twitter

    jpinnick86 at gmail dot com

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  20. i follow red star on facebook.

    jpinnick86 at gmail dot com

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  21. you cinnamon rolls look amazing and bready!! my favorite yeast recipe is pumpkin spice pull apart bread and then lemon pull apart bread ;)

    http://thewhimsicalcupcake.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/lemon-scented-pull-apart-coffee-cake/

    http://thewhimsicalcupcake.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/pumpkin-spice-pull-apart-bread-with-maple-glaze/

    jpinnick86 at gmail dot com

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  22. I LOOOOVE a good cinnamon bun and these look exquisite! As the saying goes: "Nothing Says Lovin than Something from the Oven!"
    XOXO

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  23. Following Red Star on Twitter and Liked on FB AND my favorite Recipe using Red Star is Authentic Pizza Napoletana Dough Recipe!! ;-)

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  24. Gorgeous cinnamon rolls, Shulie! Your son (and his friends) is lucky to have such a wonderful mom, who also bakes :) I had to fly up to see my daughter last week because she was very ill and had an allergic reaction to medication given her - it's hard being so far away.

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  25. My favorite thing to bake with yeast is challah.

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  26. I follow red star yeast on twitter

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  27. I follow Red Star Yeast on Facebook

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  28. I love baking with yeast, but I prefer fresh yeast to active dry. It took some getting used to, but now its my favorite. I probably use it 3 times a week. Pizza, hamburger buns, coffee cake, I can't decide which is my favorite.

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  29. I tweeted about the giveaway on twitter

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  30. I adore cinnamon buns! Ahhhhh,I can just smell them cooking now! Yours look fabulous!!

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  31. Cinnamon buns. Ohhhhhh! Loving it a lot!

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  32. That cinna buns looks so delish!! I love cinnamon in EVERYTHING!!!

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  33. Lovely pictures! And cinnamon buns are a favourite;-)

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  34. Beautiful looking cinnamon buns! Absolutely love them! Have you tried the swedish version where cardamom is used? It's a pretty good variation!

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  35. Beautiful cinnamon buns, what a sweet mom you are!

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  36. I am following Red Star Yeast on twitter

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  37. I am following Red Star Yeast on FB

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  38. Hi what a beautiful blog you have, the buns are gorgeous, beautiful clicks, the cinnamon smells are great, I baked these long bake your photos are so iniviting makes me do it again.., do visit me when you have time.., I will be very thrilled.

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  39. I LIKE Red Star Yeast's Facebook page....ciao4now64@yahoo.com

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  40. My favorite is using the yeast for my famous Yeast Torte's...ciao4now64@yahoo.com

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  41. I shared this giveaway on my fb page too...ciao4now64@yahoo.com

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  42. I follow RedStar on Facebook!

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  43. That bun looks so perfect and such neatly shaped. I still suck at baking bread. Need to really get this right sometime soon.

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  44. Those are marvellous... I can't stop at just 1 :P

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  45. Those cinnamon buns look irresistible and I'll bet your son was thrilled to get that care package. What a good mama you are!

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  46. I made cinna buns a couple days back and they tasted terrific but not as half good looking as yours. So perfectly rolled. You are genius Shulie :-)

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  47. Don't these look good. I remember college care packages both when I was in college and then when my kids went.

    I can buy Red Star brewers yeast in australia at the brew shops but I haven't seen any in the grocery stores. Maybe they should start selling it here. I love Red Star.

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  48. I follow RSY on Twitter and may I say, the before pictures of the rolls...look like a piece of art!

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  49. My favorite yeast recipe is the one for my multi-grain rolls (I love homemade cinnamon rolls too and always sub some WW flour for the white flour).
    I always follow Red Star Yeast on Twitter (HanaasKitchen).

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  50. I already LIKE Red Star Yeast on FB.

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  51. Cinnamon buns are my favorite, and these look perfect!

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  52. your cinnamon buns look perfect Shulie. I'd love is I had received a care package like this when I was in collage.

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  53. Wow these look phenomenal!! I love good cinnamon buns :-) So sweet of you to send them to your son at college! Best care package ever. I won't enter your giveaway this time since I won the last one and won't be home for a while to get it :-/ but it's awesome!

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  54. OH my! I would have loved to have received these when I went away to college.

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  55. Ah, that sounds like a lovely care package! Those cinnamon rolls look divine.

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  56. Oh goodness these look delectable, and dangerous :)

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  57. These are perfect cinnamon buns... do you send care packages to France?

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  58. Oh, I love whoever is behind the Red Star Yeast Twitter and FB pages and I follow both!

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  59. I follow @RedStarYeast (@cmouse01)

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  60. I like Red Star Yeast's Fb page

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  61. These cinnamon buns look awesome, but so does the cardamon coffee cake. Looks like I'll have to make both. Love the smell of yeast breads rising.

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  62. Look how gorgeous those cinnamon buns look, YUM!!! I follow RedStarYeast on Twitter and Facebook! Hugs, Terra

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  63. I tweeted the fun giveaway! :-)

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  64. I think my favorite yeast dough is a toss up between cinnamon rolls, and delicious buttery brioche! Making yeast bread is so fun, and challenging:-) Hugs, Terra

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  65. Not entering the giveaway but just wanted to drop in and say please save some of those cinnamon rolls for me! they look fabulous!

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  66. Those cinnamon buns are a thing of beauty. Please be my mom too! I've never baked with yeast and would love to start making homemade bread and rolls and maybe even raised doughnuts.

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  67. I like them on FB and I follow them on twitter

    The look great! I will have to try them this weekend!

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  68. Ohh I really want to make my own pizza dough!! This would be the perfect college care package for me :) awesome giveaway!

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  69. Sweet mommy :) and i wish you lived by me. Cinnamon buns are my biggest weakness and I can stuff a few even if I am full till my throat. These look pillowy soft and oh so good. i am having a virtual taste with my cuppa beside me.. like a dream.

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  70. TY everyone for your lovely comments and entering this giveaway. Giveaway is now closed!! These are indeed as Soma put it feathery light first day. Incredible to have one when fresh, than you realize the difference, I did! Junia, it now became second nature to S. he's got them since he was two, so he lives a pretty happy go lucky, normal life. Though I still worry. Cafe Terra won this giveaway. Congrats to Terra!! Thank you Red Star Yeast for this fun giveaway!

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  71. No need to enter me in the giveaway, but such a sweet thing to do for your son!

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