Quick Cinnamon Apple Buns (No Yeast) - A Guest Post By Deeba Rajpal

 Passionate About Baking and Deeba Rajpal - India's best baking blog and the very passionate baker behind the blog - who has remained immune to their charms?? Exploring food blogs, when I first came across PAB I was spellbound! This lady baking all this in India and how!! That was the beginning of her being a constant source of awe and inspiration to me, the sea of her delightful recipes, the slightest nudge a baker (obsessive or reluctant!) needs to turn on the oven. Apart from being a very talented baker, food stylist and superb photographer, she is one of the sweetest and most generous people I have known. Not to mention a very-down-to-earth and humble person for all her celebrity status. Be it in the way she admits to the odd baking disaster in her kitchen or in the way she effusively thanks her readers for the smallest of gestures. Am sure you will agree, every blogger in India aspires to achieve at least a tiny fraction of the adulation and name Deeba has achieved. As food bloggers, we are indeed fortunate to have PAB to look up to, the blog which has put Indian home-baking on the international map!

I had a short while ago requested Deeba for a guest post and she instantly agreed! Am touched by her words, my heartfelt thanks to my favorite blogger for guest-posting for me! Its truly an honor to have her gorgeous and delectable Quick Apple Cinnamon Buns on my blog. I can smell the cinnamon and the butter, oh! yumm!!  Now over to Deeba...

  

Thank you Suma for asking me to guest post for you. These Quick Cinnamon Buns are for your yummy blog, a constant reminder of how sweet a food blogger can be. I am fortunate to have crossed paths with yours! I have endlessly bothered this poor girl for baking stuff like vital gluten from Bangalore that I cannot find in Gurgaon/Delhi, and she obliges happily each time. Inching forward, my list hesitatingly began with gluten went on to dark cocoa {from Nilgiris} ...and then I stole a mile when she offered an inch! Now I regularly get parchment paper, instant active yeast, piping bags from this lovely lady.

 

She hesitatingly asked me a short while ago if I would do a guest post for her, and I was amazed! After all I have pestered her to do, it's her right to ask and my duty to oblige! So here I am, with a' quick bread' which works great for breakfast or a snack, yet doubles up as a rustic dessert.

  

Quick Apple Cinnamon Buns {no yeast}, a quick bread I discovered while looking for recipe ideas for last months Daring Baker challenge. {I made Double Chocolate Dessert Popovers then...}. I made changes, as thats something inherently characteristic of me. I subbed a little plain flour for wholewheat, and added some apples and walnuts to the filling. Also a dash of cinnamon to the topping!

 

Great for breakfast, wonderful with that indulgent cup of filtered coffee, and charmingly rustic for a warm dessert. How nice to have it baking while dinner is served and then dig into warm apple walnut cinnamon buns bursting with flavor. Oh, did I tell you the whole house smelt so good?

  

So if you are wary of the yeast monster, these are quick buns for you. And, if you aren't afraid of the yeast factor, yet want some fast track yumminess, these are worth every bite.

[print_this]Recipe: Quick Cinnamon Buns with Cinnamon Icing

Summary: Quick no yeast apple, cinnamon and walnuts buns which bake in a jiffy {no yeast} and make for a nice rustic dessert {or quick snack}. Adapted minimally from Cook's Illustrated

Yield: 8-10 buns

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

• Filling
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1-2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large firm apple, peeled, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• Dough
• 2 cups plain flour {plus additional for work area}
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• Icing
• 2 tbsp low fat cream {or cream cheese}
• 2 tbsp buttermilk
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 225 C. Pour 1 tbsp melted butter in 9-inch nonstick cake pan; brush to coat pan {I lined the bottom with parchment}.
2. Filling:
3. Combine sugars, spices and salt in medium bowl. Add 1 tbsp melted butter to start and stir with a whisk or fork till it resembles wet sand.
4. Dough:
5. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and 2 Tbsp melted butter in measuring cup. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed and the dough starts coming together in a shaggy ball { I needed to add about 1/4 cup extra flour but I think that was because I used the Thermomix which wasn't necessary}. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy{ about 1 minute}
6. Pat and roll dough into 12x9 -inch rectangle. Brush dough with 2 tbsp melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with filling, leaving 1/2 inch border of plain dough around edges. Press filling firmly into dough, and sprinkle over chopped apple and walnuts.
7. Starting on long side, roll dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. Pinch seam to seal. Roll log seam-side down and cut evenly into eight pieces. With hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal open edges and keep filling in place. Place one roll in center of prepared pan , then place remaining seven rolls around perimeter of pan. Brush with remaining 2 tbsp melted butter. {Don't worry if there are gaps. They will fill up during baking}
8. Bake until edges are golden brown, 23-25 minutes. Use offset spatula to loosen buns from pan without separating. Place a large plate carefully over top of pan and using potholders invert pan onto plate. Using a second large plate and potholders, carefully invert rolls again to be face-up. Cool about 5 minutes before icing.
9. While buns are cooling, whisk together cream, buttermilk and cinnamon with the powdered sugar until thick and smooth. {Add more sugar/buttermilk as required to get a thick consistency}.
10. Drizzle over buns, or serve on the side if you wish.
11. Serve immediately.

[/print_this]