Cinnabun Recipe

By popular demand, here is our favourite recipe for cinnamon buns. We especially like the no-butter, low-fat filling. 
For the rest of the step-by-step photos, go to our flickr photos. 

Dry Ingredients:

• 3 cups (750 ml) flour
• 3/4 cup (185 ml) granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) salt

Gryffin is our eager kitchen helper.

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) shortening
• 1 cup (250 ml) milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla

Cinnamon Filling:

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) ground cinnamon
• a little milk 

Icing (optional):

• any icing you like, any colour, homemade or store-bought

Instructions:

1. Mix dry ingredients with a whisk. 
2. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles small, pea-sized crumbs.
3. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Mix until well combined. 
4. When dough sticks together into a ball, roll with rolling pin on floured surface until in a rough oval or rectangle shape, 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick.
5. Combine cinnamon filling ingredients, adding milk 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time, just until it makes a paste. (You will probably only need the 1 spoonful of milk, so mix very well before deciding to add more.)
6. Pour cinnamon mixture over dough, then use a brush to spread it evenly.
7. Roll up the dough slowly, keeping the roll fairly tight. The direction you choose to roll will determine whether you make many, small cinnabuns or fewer, large cinnabuns.
8. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into a few large pieces. (We cut it into 4.) Then cut each large piece into the number of cinnabuns you want to make, in the size you like. (We ended up with 16.)
9. Place cinnabuns on baking sheet and shape into rounds, as necessary.
10. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 10-15 minutes, checking after the first 10, until golden.
11. When buns have cooled slightly, frost with icing (we used store-bought) and allow to melt.

- Modified from "Nanny's Cinnamon Buns" in Kyla Pierik's Treasured Recipes from Home, 2006.