Rhubarb Raspberry Cinnamon Buns from Anna Olson

I love working seasonal fruits into my desserts, and these cinnamon buns are no exception. They are perfect for Sunday brunch, or to make for overnight guests in the morning. The recipe also offers tons of flexibility to change up the fruits as we move from spring to summer. The tart rhubarb and sweet raspberries balance each other and the pink colour sings of spring-time. The true beauty of these is when you coax your guests awake by the aromas of butter-rich yeast bread baking with fruits and cinnamon, and they go home with great memories and recipe they can share with their loved ones.

Makes 9 Cinnamon Buns

Prep Time: 25 minutes, plus resting the dough

Cook Time:  60 minutes

Dough:

¼ cup    60 g                unsalted butter

¾ cup   175 mL             2% milk

3 cups  450 g               all-purpose flour

¼ cup   60 g                 granulated sugar

2 ¼ tsp (1 pkg)             instant dry yeast

¼ tsp                            ground nutmeg

½ tsp                            fine salt

1                                  large egg

2                                  egg yolks

Filling:

¼ cup   60 g                 unsalted butter, at room temperature

¼ cup   50 g                 granulated sugar

¼ cup   50 g                 packed light brown sugar

1 Tbsp                          ground cinnamon

1 tsp                            vanilla extract

1 cup                           250 mL fresh or frozen diced rhubarb (still frozen OK)

1 cup                           250 mL fresh or frozen raspberries (still frozen OK)

Frosting:

½ pkg   125 g               cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup   60 g                 unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup   100 g               icing sugar, sifted

½ tsp                            vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter over medium low heat in a saucepan and then add the milk, warming it until just above body temperature, 105°F (41°C). To do this perfectly, I used the LG ProBake Convection^™ oven with the Induction cooktop which guarantees even heating, safety and also energy savings. The fine heat controls means I can heat my milk and butter on low and know it will hold a constant temperature, ideal for adding to my yeast dough.
2. Measure the flour, sugar, yeast and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment and stir to combine and then add the salt. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl and add the egg and egg yolks. If using a mixer, combine on low speed and then increase the speed one level and knead the dough until it feels smooth, about 4 minutes. If mixing by hand, stir everything with a wooden spoon until it becomes too difficult to do so, and then turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead by hand until it feels smooth, about 6 minutes (try and avoid adding too much extra flour when kneading).  Place the dough into an ungreased bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise on the counter until almost doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
3. For the filling, cream the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla by hand until well combined – the mixture will not become fluffy.
4. To assemble the buns, grease a 9-inch (23 cm) square pan and line it with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a square about 16-inches (40 cm) across. Spread the cinnamon butter over the entire surface of the dough in a sheer layer.  Sprinkle the rhubarb and raspberries overtop.  Roll the dough up rather tightly to hold in the fruit in a spiral and trim off the end pieces a touch.  Cut the dough into thirds, and then cut each third into thirds, yielding 9 buns. Place these into the pan, cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap, let sit on the counter for 30 minutes and then refrigerate overnight. The LG InstaView Door-in-Door^® refrigerator and is great for this recipe because with the Smart Cooling Plus System, you can chill the yeast buns quickly and the fridge holds them at an even temperature for reliable results.
5. In the morning, pull the pan of buns from the fridge, remove the plastic wrap, place directly into the oven and turn to the proofing setting. This LG oven feature provides an insulated, warm environment to coax your yeast breads to full volume, just like a professional bakery. After 30 minutes, set the oven to ProBake Convection 350°F (180°C) then set your timer for 40 minutes and bake the buns until the juices are bubbling. The buns are cooked when you can gently pull apart two layers at the centre (add an extra 5 minutes baking time if needed).  To save you some time, the LG ProBake Convection oven features the heating element in the back wall of the oven delivering optimal heat distribution so the buns are evenly baked. Cool the buns in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 40 minutes before serving or frosting.
6. For the frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter by hand until smooth. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth – it will be soft. Slather or dollop the frosting onto the cinnamon buns – if the buns are still warm, the frosting will melt into the crevices a bit, and if fully cooled, it will stay in place.

The cinnamon buns are best enjoyed the day they are baked.  The assembled unbaked cinnamon buns (wrap and freeze the roll of buns, uncut) can be frozen for up to 3 months, and then thawed in the refrigerator for 24 hours before slicing to bake.

Extra tips from Anna Olson:

• If you’d like to bake the cinnamon buns the day you assemble them, use the delay bake feature to put the buns in the oven to proof for 20 minutes or up to an hour before you start baking. The ProBake Convection coaxes the buns to rise and set perfectly as they evenly bake.
• I love to switch up the fruits throughout the spring and summer fruit seasons. Once rhubarb season ends, I use blueberries, then peaches, mixed berries, blackberries and even into fall I use diced apples in this recipe.
• Double up on batches! The ProBake Convection allows you to evenly bake on multiple racks, saving time and energy.
• I came up with the idea of chilling the unbaked cinnamon buns overnight when I was a pastry chef at Inn on the Twenty in Niagara. I would come in for 6 am to start baking, and to save time, I would pop the chilled cinnamon buns into the oven while the oven preheated – but also the aroma of cinnamon would waft through the vents and across the street, coaxing our inn guests awake with the wonderful aromas.  Now I do this at home for weekend guests!
• To make clean-up easy, I use my LG QuadWash^® dishwasher as it can handle doughy bowls and sticky whisks. The steam reduces the need for pre-rinsing and the high-pressure jets power-clean dishes from multiple angles so everything comes out perfectly clean.

In partnership with LG Electronics Canada