Overnight Cinnamon Buns

Soft, buttery and unapologetically cinnamon-y, these buns are designed to make mornings considerably better.

And if you’re looking for a Father’s Day breakfast that feels impressive without requiring a dawn start, this is it. Do most of the work the night before, shape the buns, tuck them into the fridge to slowly proof overnight, then bake them fresh in the morning.

Your kitchen smells magnificent, Dad thinks you’ve gone to extraordinary lengths, and nobody needs to know the hard work was done yesterday.

They’re perfect for a lazy Father’s Day breakfast, a long brunch, feeding a crowd — or keeping entirely to yourself.

Dough

• 250ml warm milk, about 36–40°C
• 2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 90g butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 600g bread flour
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2½ tsp instant yeast

Filling

• 250g brown sugar
• 2½ tbsp ground cinnamon or cassia
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 90g butter, very soft or melted

Optional additions:

Finely grated zest of 1 orange, 1 tsp ground cardamom, finely chopped pecans, walnuts or macadamias, sultanas or currants, or finely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 60g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt
• 220g icing sugar, sifted

Method

Make the dough

Wake up the yeast. Gently warm the milk until it feels like warm bathwater rather than hot coffee — around 36–40°C. Stir in the yeast and leave for 5–10 minutes. It should look creamy and slightly foamy. If absolutely nothing happens, your yeast may be past its prime and it is better to discover that now than several hours from now.

Lightly grease a large bowl and set aside.

Place the flour, caster sugar and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and briefly mix to combine.

Fit the dough hook. Add the warm milk and yeast mixture and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until a shaggy dough begins to form. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add the beaten eggs followed by the melted butter.

Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, soft and elastic. It should still feel slightly tacky rather than completely dry. Depending on your mixer, you may need to stop once or twice to scrape down the bowl.

Transfer the dough to the greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. It should look beautifully puffy and feel soft to the touch.

Roll and fill

Butter a 33cm x 23cm baking dish, or line it with baking paper. A baking tray also works, although you may lose a little of that glorious cinnamon filling around the edges.

Lightly flour a large work surface. Turn out the dough and gently shape it into a rectangle, with the long side facing you.

Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 30cm x 40cm, and about 5mm thick.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon or cassia and vanilla in a bowl, mixing until evenly combined. If using orange zest or cardamom, add them now.

Spread the softened or melted butter evenly over the dough, going almost all the way to the edges.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter. Try to avoid large clumps — every bun deserves its fair share. Scatter over any nuts, dried fruit or chocolate you are using.

Shape the buns

Starting with the long edge closest to you, fold over the first centimetre of dough, then continue rolling firmly into a log. Keep the roll reasonably tight so you don't create large air pockets.

Lightly mark the log into quarters, then divide each quarter into three. Cut into 12 even buns using a sharp knife or metal bench scraper.

Arrange the buns in the prepared baking dish, leaving approximately 2cm between them to allow for expansion.

For overnight cinnamon buns

Cover the baking dish tightly and refrigerate overnight.

The following morning, remove the buns from the fridge and leave them at room temperature while the oven heats. If they still look very firm and haven't risen much overnight, give them a little longer in a warm place until noticeably puffy.

To bake the same day

Cover the buns and leave them in a warm place until puffy, risen and beginning to nestle into one another.

Bake

Preheat the oven to 190°C conventional / 170°C fan-forced.

Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown on top and cooked through. They should feel soft but only slightly yielding when gently pressed.

Leave to cool in the dish while you make the icing.

Make the Cream Cheese Icing

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until pale, smooth and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as necessary.

Add the vanilla and salt and beat again to combine.

Add the icing sugar gradually, beginning on the lowest speed unless you fancy redecorating the kitchen in a fine layer of sugar.

Once incorporated, increase the mixer to medium speed and beat until light, fluffy and smooth.

Generously spread the cream cheese icing over the buns while they are still slightly warm.

Serve immediately, preferably with coffee and absolutely no obligation to share.

Pantry Notes

Cinnamon or cassia?
Either works beautifully here. Cassia is the bolder, sweeter and more familiar cinnamon flavour most of us associate with cinnamon buns, while true cinnamon is softer, lighter and a little more floral.

Want to make them your own?
Orange zest and cardamom make an excellent combination. Pecans or walnuts add crunch, currants make them feel pleasingly old-school, and chopped dark chocolate requires no justification whatsoever.

The overnight trick:
Slow-proofing the shaped buns in the fridge doesn't just make breakfast easier — it also gives the dough time to develop flavour. Morning-you will be very pleased with night-before-you.