These cinnamon raisin buns aren’t really Asian, but they had them at many of the bakeries I’d go to in China. If you’re a fan of cinnamon raisin bread (toasted with a little butter…perfection), you will LOVE these.
And their fancy schmancy swirly look? Way easier to accomplish than you think. Scroll down to see how we did it.
Cinnamon Raisin Buns: Recipe Instructions
Start by making the bread dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size.
After the bread dough has proofed for an hour, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
Roll out each piece into a rough 8×4 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with a few raisins.
Roll into a cigar, and cut the cigar in half lengthwise, leaving one end attached (it’ll look like a pair of pants).
Twist the two pieces together, and then roll the whole thing into a snail shape, tucking the ends underneath the bun.
Lay on a baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise for another hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the risen buns with egg wash and bake for 13-15 minutes. Right after they’re baked, transfer to a cooling rack and brush with simple syrup.
Cinnamon Raisin Buns
Ingredients
For the bread dough:
- 2/3 cup heavy cream (160 ml, at room temperature)
- 1 cup milk (plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature; total 250 ml)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup sugar (75g)
- 1/2 cup cake flour (70g)
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour (500g)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (11g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (7g)
To finish the buns:
- 2 tablespoons sugar (25g)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2-2/3 cup raisins (75-100g)
- 1 large egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water to form an egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (12g, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water to make a simple syrup)
Instructions
- Start by making the bread dough. In the bowl of a mixer, add the heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, cake flour, bread flour, yeast, and salt (in that order). Using the dough hook attachment, turn on the mixer to “stir.” Let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together.
- After 15 minutes, the dough is ready for proofing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1 hour. The dough will grow to 1.5X its original size.
- After the bread dough has proofed for an hour, put the dough back in the mixer and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of air bubbles. Dump the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll out each piece into a rough 8x4 inch rectangle. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and dot with a few raisins. Roll into a cigar, and cut the cigar in half lengthwise, leaving one end attached (it'll look like a pair of pants). Twist the two pieces together, and then roll the whole thing into a snail shape, tucking the ends underneath the bun. Lay on a baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise for another hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the risen buns with egg wash and bake for 13-15 minutes. Right after they're baked, brush with simple syrup.
Tips & Notes:
nutrition facts
Hi. Can I replace the 1 cup of milk for heavy cream?
Hi Debbie, without the heavy cream, these buns won’t be as soft and fluffy, so I wouldn’t make that substitute in this case.
Hi. How many grams of instant yeast would you recommend I use as I don’t have active instant yeast? Also, would you recommend letting the buns do the first proof overnight due to the winter?
Hi Val, you can use 11g instant yeast. As for the first proof, proof the dough in a closed microwave with a mug of just boiled water next to it!
Thank you! Just made them and they are delicious! Definitely going to make my way through all the bakery recipes aha
love the layered braid on my cinnamon raisin buns, happy new year to all!
Nice! Happy New Year Jenn!
Thank you for all your great bread recipes! Have you ever formed the buns, and frozen them and defrosted as part of the second rise? Thanks!
We have not tried that, Anna.
Hi Anna, readers have shared that they have done exactly that with success, go for it.
My son favorite!!! It’s delicious absolutely amazing recipe!!!
Thank you so much Marisa!