Cinnamon Roll Bites
It's officially Fall and hallelujah for that. This year has felt anything but normal, so it's nice to feel a bit of normalcy now that Fall is here. Football is on TV, pumpkins are everywhere and cinnamon is in the air. It's just a bit of relief in this unpredictable time. To start the Fall season, I thought I'd start by sharing an easy recipe for homemade cinnamon roll bites. Cinnamon roll bites are balled-up brioche dough covered in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. To make it easy, I use my go-to cinnamon roll recipe dough. It's foolproof and so easy to work with. These cinnamon roll bites are a nice change from the traditional rolls and a great party dish as it's made for a crowd.
How to Make My Cinnamon Roll Bites:
- For the starter, combine the flour, water and milk and whisk well until combined. Microwave in 20-second increments and whisk well in between. Microwave for a minute. The mixture should be thicker out of the microwave. Set aside to cool to warm.
- Pour the buttermilk and whole milk into a large measuring cup and microwave for 20-30 seconds until lukewarm. Pour the buttermilk/milk mixture into a large bowl, along with your starter. Begin to whisk well until most of the start dissolves into the milk.
- Combine both flours in a bowl and set aside.
- In the buttermilk/milk/starter mixture, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition on medium speed. Add in the sugar and salt and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add in the yeast and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Fold the flour in gently until just combined. Flour still should be very visible. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl sides well.
- Start the mixer back up to medium speed and begin to add in the softened butter in a couple of chunks at a time. As you add in more butter, the dough will become stickier, but that's normal.
- Once all the butter is in, dump in the rest of the flour and allow the mixer to mix just until a ball of dough forms.
- Dump everything from the bowl to a floured surface. Begin to knead the dough and flour for 5-8 minutes until the flour and butter become well absorbed and the ball of dough becomes a smooth uniform ball of dough. If your kitchen is humid, you may need more flour than originally called for. Add up to a cup of more flour if needed. The dough will be soft and sticky, but it still should be workable.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray well and place the bowl of dough in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough for your dough to expand. Place a damp lint-free towel over the top of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot. I used my microwave since it's enclosed, dark, and warm. The oven, turned off, of course, is also a great proofing area. Allow the dough to be proofread for one hour.
- Dump the proofed dough onto a floured surface. Begin to gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a dough scraper to cut a 1" strip. Roll the strip into a ball and set aside. Continue to do this until all the dough is used up. I was able to get about 45-50 balls out of this dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, do the same with the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Dunk a dough ball into the melted butter, quickly moving it into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Tap off any excess and place the dough ball into the bundt pan. Place one layer of dough balls into your well-greased bundt pan. About 10-12 should do. Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the top. Continue to do this until all the dough balls are used up and you have about 2-3 layers. On the last layer, dump any remaining melted butter/vanilla mixture and the rest of the light brown sugar.
Set the pan to the side and cover with a damp towel. Leave at room temperature to proof for about 20 minutes.
- Bake in your preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before trying to unmold.
- Unmold and chop the pieces into large chunks and serve! You can also unmold and leave it and serve as monkey bread for a pull-apart party snack.
SOME MORE GREAT DOUGH RECIPES:
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Bites
Ingredients
- Starter:
- 3 tablespoons 43 g water
- 3 tablespoons 43 g whole milk
- 2 tablespoons 14 g bread flour
- Rolls:
- 1 starter
- 82.5 g buttermilk
- 82.5 g whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 220.5 g cake flour
- 220.5 g bread flour + more for dusting and for getting the dough to a "shaggy" texture if necessary
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, room temp
- Misc:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
Instructions
- For the starter, combine the flour, water and milk and whisk well until combined. Microwave in 20-second increments and whisk well in between. Microwave for a minute. The mixture should be thicker out of the microwave. Set aside to cool to warm.
- Pour the buttermilk and whole milk in a large measuring cup and microwave for 20-30 seconds until lukewarm. Pour the buttermilk/milk mixture into a large bowl, along with your starter. Begin to whisk well until most of the start dissolves into the milk.
- Combine both flours in a bowl and set aside.
- In the buttermilk/milk/starter mixture, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition on medium speed. Add in the sugar and salt and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add in the yeast and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Fold the flour in gently until just combined. Flour still should be very visible. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl sides well.
- Start the mixer back up to a medium speed and begin to add in the softened butter in a couple of chunks at a time. As you add in more butter, the dough will become stickier, but that's normal.
- Once all the butter is in, dump in the rest of the flour and allow the mixer to mix just until a ball of dough forms.
- Dump everything from the bowl to a floured surface. Begin to knead the dough and flour for 5-8 minutes until the flour and butter become well absorbed and the ball of dough becomes a smooth uniform ball of dough. If your kitchen is humid, you may need more flour than originally called for. Add up to a cup of more flour if needed. The dough will be soft and sticky, but it still should be workable.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray well and place the bowl of dough in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough for your dough to expand. Place a damp lint-free towel over the top of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot. I used my microwave since it's enclosed, dark, and warm. The oven, turned off, of course, is also a great proofing area. Allow the dough to proof for one hour.
- Dump the proofed dough onto a floured surface. Begin to gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a dough scraper to cut a 1" strip. Roll the strip into a ball and set aside. Continue to do this until all the dough is used up. I was able to get about 45-50 balls out of this dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, do the same with the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Dunk a dough ball into the melted butter, quickly moving it into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Tap off any excess and place the dough ball into the bundt pan. Place one layer of dough balls into your well-greased bundt pan. About 10-12 should do. Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the top. Continue to do this until all the dough balls are used up and you have about 2-3 layers. On the last layer, dump any remaining melted butter/vanilla mixture and the rest of the light brown sugar.
- Set the pan to the side and cover with a damp towel. Leave at room temperature to proof for about 20 minutes.
- Bake in your preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before trying to unmold.
- Unmold and chop the pieces into large chunks and serve! You can also unmold and tear apart bites or serve as monkey bread for a pull-apart party snack.