Cranberry-Orange Breakfast Buns
Total Time
Overnight
Prep Time
2 to 2 1/2 hours (initial rise time)
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
4.8 out of 5 stars
(200)
Ingredients
12 buns
- Dough:
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 large whole egg
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) butter, melted, plus additional to grease pan
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) buttermilk
- Zest of 1 orange, finely grated (to be used in dough and filling, below)
- 3 3/4 cups (470 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter
- 1 packet (7 grams or 2 1/4 teaspoons) instant dry yeast
- 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse or kosher salt, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon oil for bowl
- Filling:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) butter
- 1 cup (190 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup (115 grams) fresh cranberries
- Orange zest leftover from above
- Icing:
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (55 ml) orange juice
- 2 cups (240 grams) powdered sugar
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Preparation
Step 1
Make the dough: In the bottom of the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, buttermilk and 3/4 of the orange zest together (saving the rest for the filling). Add 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; stir until evenly moistened. Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour and let the dough hook knead the mixture on low speed for 5 to 7 minutes. The dough should be soft and moist, but not overly sticky. Scrape the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled, which will take between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.
Step 2
Prepare the filling: Melt the butter and set it aside. In a food processor, pulse the whole cranberries until they’re ground to a coarse rubble, but not fully pureed. Set them aside.
Step 3
Assemble the buns: Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish, a heavier ceramic or glass dish is ideal here. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle that is 18 inches wide (the side nearest to you) and 12 or so inches long. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle it with the brown sugar. Scatter the ground cranberries over it, then the remaining orange zest.
Step 4
Roll the dough into a tight, 18-inch long spiral. Using a sharp serrated knife, very, very gently saw the log into 1 1/2-inch sections; you should get 12. Arrange the buns evenly spread out in your baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 16 hours.
Step 5
The next morning, bake the buns: Take your buns out of the fridge 30 minutes before you’d like to bake them, to allow them to warm up slightly. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake your buns until they’re puffed and golden, approximately 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let cool slightly.
Step 6
Make the icing by whisking the orange juice and powdered sugar together. Spread a little on each bun, or drizzle it over the whole pan. Serve immediately.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
Instant yeast is also sold as Bread Machine or Rapid Rise yeast.
If you don’t have buttermilk, there are some alternatives. A half-half combination of milk and orange juice should also do the trick.
You can replace every two yolks with whole medium or large eggs, however, the dough will not be as rich.
Prefer cream cheese frosting on your buns? Use 1/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces) softened cream cheese + 3 tablespoons milk + 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the icing.
For Apple-Cinnamon Buns:
Skip the orange zest, skip the cranberries. Mix the brown sugar with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt and spread this over the melted butter. Scatter two apples, peeled and diced very small, over the cinnamon-sugar. Use 3/4 cup brown sugar instead.
