sugar buns

These buns are (of course) inspired by the famous morning buns created at Tartine. On my only visit to San Francisco, I was able to try one of these perfect buns—orange and cinnamon and sugar and butter all wrapped up in a flaky dough. The orange and cinnamon scents that waft from the oven as they bake will fill your whole home with cheer.

Morning Buns

(12 ounces) unsalted butter

water

active dry yeast

flour

sugar

table salt

(1 oz) unsalted butter (melted)

orange zest (preferably organic)

cinnamon

salt

All-purpose flour (for dusting)

Stir

Butter a large bowl. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the water and yeast and let sit until dissolved, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook, mix together 4 cups (568 g) of the flour, sugar, and salt. Start the mixer on low speed and add the water yeast mixture, followed by the melted butter.

Proof

Continue to mix until all the ingredients are combined, 3 to 4 minutes. The dough will be rough and bumpy but should be in one piece. Move the dough to the large, greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Refrigerate

Gently press down on the dough, releasing as much gas as possible. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a 10-by-12 inch (25-by-30.5 cm) rectangle. Cover the dough with more plastic wrap, place it on a sheet pan, and move it to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Beat

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the 3 sticks of butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour together until creamy and combined, 2 to 3 minutes.

Roll

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it from the plastic, and place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a 12-by-20 inch (30.5-by-50 cm) rectangle. Spread the butter-flour mixture evenly over the entire rectangle, leaving a 1/2 in (12 mm) border around the rectangle.

Fold

Make the first turn, or letter fold: Starting with a short side facing you, fold one-third of the dough onto itself, making sure the edges are lined up with each other. Then fold the remaining one-third of the dough on top of the side that has already been folded. Rotate the dough so the seam is facing to the right and one open end is facing you. Gently roll the dough into a 10-by-18 inch (25-by-46 cm) rectangle. (Each time you roll, the rectangle will get a bit smaller.)

Freeze

Repeat the letter fold. Sprinkle flour on a sheet pan or plate, place the dough on it, and freeze the dough for 6 minutes—set a timer so you don’t forget (this helps cool the dough slightly and makes the last turn less messy).

Remove the dough from the freezer and repeat the letter fold again, making sure the seam is facing to the right. Roll the dough again into a rectangle, about 8-by-16 inches (20-by-40.5 cm). Repeat the steps for one letter fold. Gently compress the dough with the rolling pin.

Chill

If using the dough immediately, place it in the freezer for 6 minutes to chill, then proceed with the recipe. Otherwise, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, place it in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 2 weeks. The dough can be removed from the freezer the night before using and placed in the refrigerator to thaw.

Make the croissant dough

Butter

Generously butter the insides and top of a twelve-cup standard muffin pan and coat each muffin cup well with granulated sugar, tapping out any excess.

Combine

In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup (100 g) of the sugar, the orange zest, cinnamon, and salt.

Generously flour your work surface and roll out the croissant dough into a 10-by-24 inch (25-by-60 cm) rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the dough, gently pressing it into the butter to adhere.

Starting at a long side, roll up the dough into a tight cylinder and position the dough seam-side down. Cut the dough into twelve equal pieces, each measuring about 2 inches (5 cm) wide.

Place the pieces in the prepared muffin pan and place them cut-side down. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size and puffy (it should act similarly to a marshmallow when pressed), 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat

Bake

Remove the plastic wrap and gently press down on the top of each bun with a lightly greased spatula. Place a sheet pan on a lower oven rack (this will help catch any drips); do not place the sheet pan directly under the muffin pan on the same rack or it will interfere with baking. Bake the buns for 15 minutes, then carefully press down on the tops of the buns again with a spatula. Rotate the pan and continue baking until the buns are golden brown, about 20 minutes more.

Coat

While the buns are baking, fill a pie plate or bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup (100 g) of granulated sugar. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately flip the hot buns onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Using tongs, pick up one bun at a time and evenly coat it in the bowl of sugar. Repeat with the remaining buns, placing them on a wire rack to cool. Morning buns are best eaten the same day they are made.

Make the morning buns

Thank you for the help! When I say these were beyond my expectations and came out so good. I went back and forth between reading the recipe and watching some Tartine videos. 
They had the  crisp golden outside  but yet still soft flaky on the inside .  Loads of texture. The orange zest really elevates the flavor. 
 Most of the buns rose very huge  and spilled over the muffin tin a lot so the shape is not quite even. I am wondering if I did not release enough of the gas. However , it was okay and  it was a hit and I  will most definitely try this again to perfect. It was delicious.

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Morning Buns

The most viewed sugar buns recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine