Hairy Bikers Cinnamon Swirls

Hairy Bikers cinnamon swirls are soft, enriched yeast buns rolled with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, baked at 220°C for 10–12 minutes. The dough uses warm milk, butter and egg, and the recipe makes 16 with about 80 minutes of prep including proving.

This comes from The Hairy Bikers’ 12 Days of Christmas, their festive cookbook. Si and Dave say the smell when these are baking is “almost more than flesh and blood can stand.” That kind of enthusiasm tells you they really mean this one.

The step that matters most is warming the milk. Si and Dave heat it with butter and sugar but warn “don’t let it get too hot.” If the mixture is too warm it’ll kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise at all.

Hairy Bikers Cinnamon Swirls

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

16

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

315

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

35

minutes

Enriched dough kneaded by hand, filled with a creamed almond and cinnamon butter, sliced into rounds and proved until doubled. Finished with a brushed butter and cinnamon sugar topping, from Si and Dave’s Christmas cookbook.

Ingredients

• For the dough:

• 375ml milk

• 100g butter, cut into pieces

• 75g soft light brown sugar

• 650g strong plain flour, plus extra for dusting

• a good pinch of salt

• 7g sachet of fast-action dried yeast

• 1 medium free-range egg, beaten

• For the filling:

• 100g butter

• 100g soft light brown sugar

• 25g ground almonds

• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

• For the topping:

• 25g butter

• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

• 2 tsp caster sugar

Directions

• Heat the milk: You will need 2 baking trays lined with baking parchment. Pour the milk into a pan, add the butter and sugar. Place over a medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm, but don’t let it get too hot. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Make the dough: Put the flour in a large bowl and stir in the salt and yeast. Stir the beaten egg into the warm milk and pour it onto the flour mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon and then with your clean hands until the mixture forms a soft, spongy dough.
• Knead: Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. The dough will be fairly wet to begin with, but within a few minutes it should feel less sticky. You can always sprinkle a little extra flour over the surface while kneading if necessary. Set aside while you make the filling.
• Fill and roll: For the filling, cream the butter in a bowl with the brown sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to form a rectangle of about 35 x 50cm. Using a rubber spatula or palette knife, spread the filling over the dough, taking it all the way to the edges.
• Shape: Roll the dough up from one of the longest sides, keeping it fairly tight. Trim the ends and cut the dough into 2cm rounds. Brush the pastry with a little water if it begins to undo. Place the rounds on the baking trays, leaving plenty of room between them. Leave to rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Bake: Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. For the topping, melt the butter in a small pan and brush it over the cinnamon swirls. Mix the cinnamon and caster sugar and sprinkle this over the buns. Bake the swirls for 10–12 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown. Cool on the tins for a few minutes before serving.

Notes

• Calories: Dough: milk 375ml (244) + butter 100g (717) + brown sugar 75g (285) + strong flour 650g (2,171) + yeast 7g (22) + egg (78) = 3,517. Filling: butter 100g (717) + brown sugar 100g (381) + ground almonds 25g (160) + cinnamon 12g (30) = 1,288. Topping: butter 25g (179) + caster sugar 8g (31) + cinnamon (3) = 213. Total: 5,018 kcal ÷ 16 = 314 kcal → 315 kcal per swirl.

FAQs

Why does the filling include ground almonds?

Most cinnamon roll fillings use just butter, sugar and cinnamon, but Si and Dave add 25g of ground almonds to theirs. The almonds absorb moisture during baking, which stops the filling from leaking out into a pool on the tray.

They also add a subtle nuttiness that rounds out the cinnamon. Swedish kanelbullar use marzipan in the filling for the same reason. Si and Dave’s version has more in common with Scandinavian baking than with American cinnamon rolls.

How warm should the milk mixture be?

Aim for around 37–40°C, which feels like a warm bath when you dip your finger in. If it’s too hot to hold your finger there comfortably, it’s too hot for the yeast. The butter melts at around 35°C, so by the time it’s dissolved the milk is usually close to the right range.

I let the pan sit off the heat for 5 minutes after the butter melts before adding the egg and pouring it onto the flour. That short pause brings the temperature down safely every time. Rushing this step is the most common reason homemade bread dough doesn’t rise.

How long should I prove the dough?

Si and Dave say 45–60 minutes in a warm place, or until the swirls have doubled in size. The time depends on your kitchen temperature, so watch the dough rather than the clock. In summer mine have been ready in 35 minutes.

If your kitchen is cold, try proving in the oven with just the light on, or near a radiator. The swirls should look puffy and feel light when you press gently with a fingertip. If the indent springs back slowly, they’re ready to bake.

Can I make these the night before?

You can shape the swirls, place them on the trays and cover tightly with cling film, then refrigerate overnight. The cold slows the yeast right down, so they prove slowly while you sleep. They won’t fully double in size overnight, but they’ll puff up noticeably by morning.

Take them out about 30 minutes before baking so they come to room temperature. Brush with the melted butter and cinnamon sugar, then bake as normal at 220°C. This is how I’d do them for Christmas morning without setting an alarm.

How do I store leftover cinnamon swirls?

Si and Dave’s own tip: store them in a large airtight tin for 2–3 days. They also say to warm them through in a hot oven before serving, which crisps the outside and softens the centre again.

Don’t refrigerate them, as the cold firms up the enriched dough and dries it out. Room temperature in a sealed tin is the better option. These don’t freeze as well as plain bread because the butter filling goes grainy when thawed.

What’s the difference between these and Chelsea buns?

Chelsea buns use a similar enriched dough but the filling is typically dried fruit, mixed spice and butter rather than cinnamon and ground almonds. They’re packed tightly into a tin so they bake touching, which gives soft, tearable sides.

Si and Dave space their swirls apart on baking trays, so each one develops a crisp edge all the way round. Both are proper baking, but the cinnamon swirls are quicker to shape. You don’t need to fit them into a tin and wait for them to press together as they rise.