It's officially Fall and hallelujah for that. This year has felt anything but normal, so it's nice to feel a bit of normalcy now that Fall is here. Football is on TV, pumpkins are everywhere and cinnamon is in the air. It's just a bit of relief in this unpredictable time. To start the Fall season, I thought I'd start by sharing an easy recipe for homemade cinnamon roll bites. Cinnamon roll bites are balled-up brioche dough covered in butter, cinnamon, and sugar. To make it easy, I use my go-to cinnamon roll recipe dough. It's foolproof and so easy to work with. These cinnamon roll bites are a nice change from the traditional rolls and a great party dish as it's made for a crowd.
How to Make My Cinnamon Roll Bites:
- For the starter, combine the flour, water and milk and whisk well until combined. Microwave in 20-second increments and whisk well in between. Microwave for a minute. The mixture should be thicker out of the microwave. Set aside to cool to warm.
- Pour the buttermilk and whole milk into a large measuring cup and microwave for 20-30 seconds until lukewarm. Pour the buttermilk/milk mixture into a large bowl, along with your starter. Begin to whisk well until most of the start dissolves into the milk.
- Combine both flours in a bowl and set aside.
- In the buttermilk/milk/starter mixture, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition on medium speed. Add in the sugar and salt and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add in the yeast and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Fold the flour in gently until just combined. Flour still should be very visible. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl sides well.
- Start the mixer back up to medium speed and begin to add in the softened butter in a couple of chunks at a time. As you add in more butter, the dough will become stickier, but that's normal.
- Once all the butter is in, dump in the rest of the flour and allow the mixer to mix just until a ball of dough forms.
- Dump everything from the bowl to a floured surface. Begin to knead the dough and flour for 5-8 minutes until the flour and butter become well absorbed and the ball of dough becomes a smooth uniform ball of dough. If your kitchen is humid, you may need more flour than originally called for. Add up to a cup of more flour if needed. The dough will be soft and sticky, but it still should be workable.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray well and place the bowl of dough in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough for your dough to expand. Place a damp lint-free towel over the top of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot. I used my microwave since it's enclosed, dark, and warm. The oven, turned off, of course, is also a great proofing area. Allow the dough to be proofread for one hour.
- Dump the proofed dough onto a floured surface. Begin to gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a dough scraper to cut a 1" strip. Roll the strip into a ball and set aside. Continue to do this until all the dough is used up. I was able to get about 45-50 balls out of this dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, do the same with the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Dunk a dough ball into the melted butter, quickly moving it into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Tap off any excess and place the dough ball into the bundt pan. Place one layer of dough balls into your well-greased bundt pan. About 10-12 should do. Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the top. Continue to do this until all the dough balls are used up and you have about 2-3 layers. On the last layer, dump any remaining melted butter/vanilla mixture and the rest of the light brown sugar.
Set the pan to the side and cover with a damp towel. Leave at room temperature to proof for about 20 minutes.
- Bake in your preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before trying to unmold.
- Unmold and chop the pieces into large chunks and serve! You can also unmold and leave it and serve as monkey bread for a pull-apart party snack.
SOME MORE GREAT DOUGH RECIPES:
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Bites
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Bites
- Starter:
- 3 tablespoons 43 g water
- 3 tablespoons 43 g whole milk
- 2 tablespoons 14 g bread flour
- Rolls:
- 1 starter
- 82.5 g buttermilk
- 82.5 g whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 220.5 g cake flour
- 220.5 g bread flour + more for dusting and for getting the dough to a "shaggy" texture (if necessary)
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened, room temp)
- Misc:
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- For the starter, combine the flour, water and milk and whisk well until combined. Microwave in 20-second increments and whisk well in between. Microwave for a minute. The mixture should be thicker out of the microwave. Set aside to cool to warm.
- Pour the buttermilk and whole milk in a large measuring cup and microwave for 20-30 seconds until lukewarm. Pour the buttermilk/milk mixture into a large bowl, along with your starter. Begin to whisk well until most of the start dissolves into the milk.
- Combine both flours in a bowl and set aside.
- In the buttermilk/milk/starter mixture, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition on medium speed. Add in the sugar and salt and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add in the yeast and 2 ½ cups of the flour. Fold the flour in gently until just combined. Flour still should be very visible. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl sides well.
- Start the mixer back up to a medium speed and begin to add in the softened butter in a couple of chunks at a time. As you add in more butter, the dough will become stickier, but that's normal.
- Once all the butter is in, dump in the rest of the flour and allow the mixer to mix just until a ball of dough forms.
- Dump everything from the bowl to a floured surface. Begin to knead the dough and flour for 5-8 minutes until the flour and butter become well absorbed and the ball of dough becomes a smooth uniform ball of dough. If your kitchen is humid, you may need more flour than originally called for. Add up to a cup of more flour if needed. The dough will be soft and sticky, but it still should be workable.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray well and place the bowl of dough in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough for your dough to expand. Place a damp lint-free towel over the top of the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm spot. I used my microwave since it's enclosed, dark, and warm. The oven, turned off, of course, is also a great proofing area. Allow the dough to proof for one hour.
- Dump the proofed dough onto a floured surface. Begin to gently pat the dough into a rectangular shape. Use a dough scraper to cut a 1" strip. Roll the strip into a ball and set aside. Continue to do this until all the dough is used up. I was able to get about 45-50 balls out of this dough.
- In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and vanilla and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, do the same with the granulated sugar and cinnamon.
- Dunk a dough ball into the melted butter, quickly moving it into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Tap off any excess and place the dough ball into the bundt pan. Place one layer of dough balls into your well-greased bundt pan. About 10-12 should do. Sprinkle some light brown sugar over the top. Continue to do this until all the dough balls are used up and you have about 2-3 layers. On the last layer, dump any remaining melted butter/vanilla mixture and the rest of the light brown sugar.
- Set the pan to the side and cover with a damp towel. Leave at room temperature to proof for about 20 minutes.
- Bake in your preheated oven at 425°F for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 25-30 minutes. The top should be golden brown. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before trying to unmold.
Unmold and chop the pieces into large chunks and serve! You can also unmold and tear apart bites or serve as monkey bread for a pull-apart party snack.
You can make this recipe by hand or with a stand mixer.
Store covered at room temp for up to three days.
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