MORNING BUN RECIPES

Steps:

• Remove 1 1/2 cups butter from refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Stir 1 1/2 cups cold butter and 2 tablespoons flour together in a bowl with an electric mixer on slow speed until flour is just incorporated. Turn butter mixture out onto aluminum foil and shape into a 6-inch square. Wrap with aluminum foil and refrigerate.
• Dissolve yeast and 3 tablespoons white sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Stir 3 cups flour, milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and yeast mixture together in a bowl. Add remaining 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup at a time, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove dough and butter-flour square from refrigerator. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x10-inch square. Place unwrapped butter square on the diagonal in the center of the dough square. Fold dough corners to overlap in the center of the butter square. Pinch dough edges together to seal.
• Roll folded dough into an 8x18-inch rectangle. Fold dough into thirds from long ends to the center, as if folding a letter. Roll and repeat the fold thirds folding process. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat the rolling, folding, and refrigerating process twice, and finish by refrigerating the dough for 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Stir 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar, and 3 tablespoons together in a bowl.
• Brush 24 muffin cups with melted butter and sprinkle each cup with ground cinnamon, turning to coat sides of muffin cups.
• Roll dough into an 10x36-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 cup. Starting at the wide end, roll up the dough and pinch edge to seal. Cut roll into 24 pieces. Place pieces in prepared muffin pans; let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bun comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Roll the top of each bun in reserved 1/2 cup cinnamon-sugar mixture and set on a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, yeast and sugar in a 5-quart mixer. Let yeast become activated and foam, then add the milk solids, salt and 9 1/3 cups flour. Mix with dough hook until flour is just incorporated. Avoid overmixing as that causes rapid toughening of dough. Place dough mixture in airtight container with room for rising, and refrigerate at 38 to 40 degrees for 12 to 24 hours, punching down occasionally if dough rises too much.
• Rolling butter into dough: Place 1 pound unsalted (or lightly salted) butter into 5-quart mixer. Mix with paddle dough hook, gradually adding remaining 1/2 cup flour. Mix until butter is moderately soft but not creamy in texture. Too soft butter will not layer properly in dough.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto well-floured surface. Spread dough with hands into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle. Shape soft butter into 3-by-4 inch rectangle. Place butter in middle of dough. Envelope butter with dough, bringing dough from sides into middle without overlapping; then dough from top and bottom into middle, again without overlapping. Press envelope of dough down evenly with hands, preserving rectangular shape.
• Set aside to rest 15 to 20 minutes. (You may want to refrigerate the dough during the first rest period if butter is very soft.).
• Turn envelope of dough and butter onto its "tummy " with seams down. Using a large rolling pin, roll rectangle of dough down to 3/8 to 1/2-inch thickness uniformly. Fold in thirds.
• Turn the dough 90 degrees and place seam down on your rolling surface to rest 15 to 20 minutes more. Finally roll dough down again to 3/8 to 1/2-inch thickness. Fold in thirds. Place in a large plastic bag, carefully preserving its folded shape. Refrigerate 12 to 14 hours, again at 38 to 40 degrees.
• Roll croissant dough into rectangle 12 inches wide and 1/8-inch thick. Relax by lifting with hands and let it contract on table surface. Length of dough determines the number of morning buns ultimately cut.
• Wet exposed surface lightly with mixture of egg and water (proportions are roughly 1 egg per 1 quart water).
• Spread brown sugar and cinnamon mixture (in proportions of 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon to 1 pound brown sugar) over entire surface of dough.
• Note: Too much moisture from either water or melting brown sugar can overwhelm the dough during the baking process. Water mixture is only to help sugar and cinnamon adhere to dough. The butter in the dough will melt into the sugar.
• Crimp long edge of dough closest to you as you begin to roll this dough up like a jelly roll into a tube. After having rolled your tube of dough, cut off slices 2 inches wide or to stand above your well-greased large muffin pans by 1/4 - 1/2 inch when placing them in cut side down.
• Bake immediately or refrigerate overnight before baking. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 35 to 50 minutes or until puffed and dark brown. Check for doneness in center of buns. They should spring back. (It is possible to invert buns onto flat tray and finish the last few minutes of baking upside down.).
• Let buns cool in pan a few minutes. Garnish buns by rolling them in white sugar and cinnamon in proportions of 1 pound granulated sugar to 2 1/4 tablespoons of cinnamon.
• Serve warm, within 4 hours, or freeze immediately to serve warm later. Makes 24 Morning Buns.