Okay, so I’ve been seeing these cinnamon sugar donut sweet breads all over my feed, and I finally caved. I had to try making one myself. Let me tell you, it was an experience, and definitely worth sharing.
Getting Started
First things first, I needed a recipe. I looked at a few online, but honestly, I ended up just kind of winging it based on what I usually do for sweet doughs. I gathered my ingredients:
- Flour (just regular all-purpose)
- Sugar (granulated and brown)
- Yeast (the active dry kind)
- Milk (whole milk, because why not?)
- Butter (lots of it!)
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract (the good stuff)
- Cinnamon
- Salt
The Dough-Making Process
I started by warming up the milk a little. Not too hot, just enough to wake up the yeast. I added the yeast and a bit of sugar to the warm milk and let it sit for like, 10 minutes until it got all foamy. That’s how you know it’s alive and kicking!
Then, in a big bowl, I mixed the flour, some more sugar, and a pinch of salt. I poured in the yeast mixture and added the eggs and melted butter. I used my stand mixer, because, let’s be real, kneading by hand is a workout. But you could totally do it by hand if you’re feeling strong!
I let the mixer do its thing for a good while, until the dough was nice and smooth and elastic. It took a bit longer than I expected, maybe 10-12 minutes? Then, I put the dough in a greased bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place. This took about an hour, maybe a bit more. It doubled in size, which was super satisfying.
Shaping and Baking (the Fun Part!)
Once the dough was all puffy and ready, I punched it down (so satisfying!) and rolled it out on a floured surface. I made a big rectangle, and then I brushed it with melted butter. Like, a lot of melted butter. Don’t be shy!
Then, I mixed together cinnamon and sugar in a separate bowl, and sprinkled it generously all over the buttered dough. I rolled it up tightly, like a jelly roll, and sliced it into individual rounds. I think I got about 12 donuts out of it.
I placed the rounds in a greased baking pan, leaving a little space between them. I let them rise again for another 30 minutes or so, while I preheated the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Finally, I baked them for about 20-25 minutes, until they were golden brown and smelled amazing. The smell of cinnamon and sugar filled my entire kitchen, it was heavenly!
The Finishing Touch
While the donuts were still warm,I took my remained cinnamon and sugar mixture and sprinkled them.
The Verdict
Oh. My. Goodness. These were SO good. Warm, soft, fluffy, and packed with cinnamon sugar goodness. They were definitely worth the effort. My family devoured them in like, a day. I’ll definitely be making these again, maybe even experimenting with different fillings next time. Maybe a cream cheese glaze? Ooooh, the possibilities!
