NTC 06: vegan cinnamon buns
Friends;
Today was back-to-school day for me. I’m scared. Not only because I’m attending art university as a 43-year-old man (fellow-kids.gif) but also because the last 18 months of “online classes” have been a complete doddle. I’m naturally somebody who likes to coast, and the pandemic has provided me with a beautiful California-sized opportunity of coasting. All that ends today.
And with that ending comes the idea that I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. I’m supposed to have goals, and projects (artists are always supposed to be working on projects), and some sort of drive. In fact, I’ve ended up where I am thanks to a combination of serious illness, and then accidentally moving countries. Don’t get me wrong; I love my life now, but if anything puts a stop to making long term plans it’s serious illnesses and moving countries, and I wasn’t exactly driven beforehand.
One of the unique features about Austrian universities is that each department has its own kitchen, so there’s a full range of cooking possible. This is fantastic for me, as although I’m a lazy student and artist, I’m extremely industrious in the kitchen. This weeks recipe is for vegan cinnamon buns, which smell amazing. They smell so great that people will walk into your kitchen and start asking when they’re ready, so be prepared to give away all your cakes. This is the best thing to do with these cinnamon buns, as they taste amazing when hot, and yet kind of boring when cold.
Recipe
Makes 6-12, I usually double the recipe
For the dough
300g strong white flour
1½ tsp instant dried yeast
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
140ml water, lukewarm
60ml olive oil
For the filling
4 tbsp olive oil
75g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of salt
Optional glaze
50ml water
50g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the water and olive oil and mix to a rough dough. Tip the dough from its bowl and knead for 5-10 minutes, or just fuck it up in the bowl if you don’t have any other surfaces. it’ll grow smoother as you work the dough.
2 Return the dough to its bowl, cover with a plate, and leave to rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in size – it should take 1-1½ hours.
3 Once the dough has risen, stir together the olive oil, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt for the filling. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 20x30cm rectangle. The dough is wet and sticky, so be careful. But not too careful, as when you’re finished you’re going to mash these up with your mouth. It’s ok if they’re not perfect
4 Spread the filling mixture over the rectangle of dough then roll the whole thing up to make a log around 30cm long. This part is quite messy, so be prepared for some filling to escape. Cut the log into even slices - I make mine quite small, but it’s up to you.
5 Lightly grease any baking tin and stick all your buns in there
6 Cover the tin loosely with clingfilm and leave to rise for a further 45-60 minutes, until the buns are just about double their original size. Preheat the oven to 180C
7 Once risen, bake the buns for 25 minutes, until lightly browned, puffy and sizzling.
OPTIONAL: while the buns are cooking, heat the water and sugar for the glaze in a small pan and simmer for a few minutes, until thicker and syrupy. Stir in the cinnamon. Brush the syrup over the freshly baked buns while both syrup and buns are still hot, then leave to cool in the tin.
Support:
I mentioned [Velo Peaches] in Vienna before, which is a queer feminist bike shop. They’re running a crowdfunding scheme to help them open their space. I mentioned this two weeks ago but I’m mentioning it again because I forgot to donate.
Next week:
Next week I’ll show you how to make the other cinnamon buns. The good ones.