Breakfast · By James
CinnaBiscuits — a family creation
This idea came out of the ether one morning when I was craving cinnamon buns but didn't want to take the time (we had also been talking about making biscuits earlier that week). What could possibly go wrong (dear Uncle Bill)? The resulting creation, with the crunchy, layered biscuit dough, sounded a wonderfully different textural note to the soft yeast dough of cinnamon buns. We loved it! The cream cheese frosting is not really needed (they're so rich, buttery already), but it is a lovely addition.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups flour
- 1½ tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar (optional: it helps leavening, browning, and reduces gluten formation)
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup butter (frozen for 30 min)
- ¾ cup cold milk
Filling
- ½ cup salted butter, almost melted
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- Optional: golden raisins and/or chopped walnuts/pecans — really good!
Frosting (optional)
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
Method
- 1
Combine the dry ingredients.
- 2
Grate your frozen butter into the flour mixture using a box grater.
- 3
Add your cold milk and combine mixture using a silicone spatula/spoon and a fork.
- 4
Flour your counter work surface and transfer the dough onto this surface, working it with your fingers just enough to create a cohesive texture.
- 5
Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5–6 times but taking care not to overwork the dough.
- 6
Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a rectangle ½ inch thick. Avoid overworking it (some just use floured fingers to flatten the dough — this helps to keep the glutens from developing too much).
- 7
Mix the filling together and spread onto the rectangle of dough. Roll up and slice into 2 cm wide pieces (should give 8 slices). Place slices into a buttered baking dish and bake at 425°F (convection) for 19–20 minutes.
- 8
Make frosting while they bake (if using). Spread the frosting on the warm biscuit rolls and serve.
A note from James
For regular baking powder biscuits, just use the dough recipe, rolling them out a bit thicker: ¾ to 1 inch thickness. Double the recipe if you have a big group (more than 4 people).
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