Apple Cinnamon Buns Recipe

Fluffy and gooey cinnamon buns filled with homemade apple sauce and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. The perfect way to welcome in the start of Autumn!

With just eight simple ingredients, homemade apple and cinnamon buns are much easier to make than you think!

Just make your simple, light and buttery bun dough, then add your apple and cinnamon filling before leaving your buns to rise. Once they're baked, you'll have the most delicious fluffy, sweet and lightly spiced apple and cinnamon buns - perfect all year round imo but especially for the start of Autumn.

This recipe makes eight large buns which will fit perfectly into a 7" x 11" baking tin. They are best eaten on the day of baking but will keep in a cool and dry place for a few days, although the dough will dry out over time.

You can also freeze the buns and reheat them by just popping them back into the oven for 10-15 minutes.

They're dairy free, egg free and of course, completely vegan!

Makes eight large buns to fit in a 7" x 11" baking tin

Ingredients;

1 packet yeast (7g)

240g warm plant milk (I used soya)

50g vegan butter + extra 50g

400g plain flour

50g caster or granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 tbs apple sauce (shop brought is fine or my easy recipe is here; Vegan Easy Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe) + 8 tsp extra for topping

3-4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs maple syrup - optional

You will also need; a large mixing bowl, microwaveable jug or bowl, rolling pin, spoon, sharp knife, clingfilm, pastry brush

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How to make your buns;

1. Begin by activating the yeast. Add the plant milk and 50g vegan butter to a jug and gently warm in the microwave. The butter should melt and the milk should be warm but not boiling hot as this will kill the yeast!

2. Add the yeast to the warm milk and butter mixture, give it a stir, and then leave for around 10 minutes to activate the yeast

3. In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt and give everything a quick mix together

4. Add the warm milk mixture a little at a time and bring the dough together into a smooth ball

5. Try not to overwork, as this will make the dough tough and not fluffy. Just lightly knead for around 5 minutes, just enough that everything is well combined and it forms a soft, smooth dough

6. Wipe any flour crumbs out of the mixing bowl and give it a quick wipe over with oil

7. Place the dough back into the bowl and cover the top with clingfilm to trap any moisture inside

8. Leave the dough to rest for around 1 hour in a warm place

9. Once the dough has doubled in size, it is time to make the buns

10. Lightly flour your work top and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, until it's roughly just thinner than 1cm

11. Spread the apple sauce all over the dough, making sure there's a generous layer

12. Next sprinkle over the cinnamon. You can add as much or as little as you would like depending on your preference!

13. Gently take one of the shorter ends and begin to roll the dough. It needs to be tight enough that the filling stays inside, but not so tight that the dough doesn't have space to rise. I find that the hardest part is getting started, then it's easier to just roll onto its self

14. Using a sharp knife mark out the cut lines to slice the dough into eight even pieces, then gently cut them

15. Line the baking tin with baking paper, then carefully place your buns into the tin

16. Melt the remaining 50g vegan butter and gently brush this over the top of the buns

17. Cover the tin again with clingfilm and leave to rise for around another 30 minutes until they have doubled in size and look light and fluffy

18. Preheat the oven to 170c

19. Once your buns have finished their second rise, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown

20. Optional, once the buns are baked and while they are still hot brush them with maple syrup to give them a shiny glaze

21. Leave them in the tin to cool

22. Once the buns are cool enough to touch, add an extra tsp of apple sauce to the top of each bun for extra yumminess and to decorate

23. Now your apple and cinnamon buns are ready to eat!

    
    

Tips & Tricks!

• Here's my super simple homemade apple sauce recipe; Vegan Easy Homemade Apple Sauce Recipe)

• This is my cake tin - my tin is 7" x 11" x 2" - https://amzn.to/45YU9Do

• If you don't like cinnamon, you can just leave it out and make plain apple buns

• The exact time that the dough needs to rise will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen. In colder temperatures the dough takes longer to rise and in warmer temperatures it's quicker!

• Don't be tempted to overwork the dough. It should just be mixed And lightly kneaded for around five minutes into a smooth, soft ball, but it doesn't need to be kneaded lots in the same way as bread

• You could make all kind of combinations with this recipe! Try swapping the apple sauce for jam or a different stewed fruit like pears or plums