Cinnamon buns

Why this dinner works

Most weeknight one-pot dinners ask you to choose between two evils: a five-ingredient bowl that tastes like the inside of a saucepan, or a recipe so layered it eats your entire evening. Cinnamon buns sits comfortably in the middle. It draws on Norway traditions where building flavor in stages — aromatics, then spice, then the slow swell of liquid into starch — is just how dinner gets made on a regular Tuesday.

The whole thing comes together in about 79 minutes in a single skillet, which means dinner from idea to table is shorter than most podcast episodes. We've leaned on the everyday 14 ingredients listed below, but in the notes after the recipe you'll find the small swaps and shortcuts that make this dish forgiving when your fridge is half-empty.

Method

1. Step 1. In a small saucepan heat the butter, milk and salt until the butter is melted. Allow the mixture to cool until it is lukewarm.
2. Step 2. In a large bowl, stir together the flours, yeast, cardamom and sugar until combined.
3. Step 3. Make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Pour in the lukewarm milk mixture and stir everything together to form a sticky dough. You may have to use your hands as the dough becomes stiffer.
4. Step 4. Oil the work surface with a teaspoon of olive oil. Turn the dough out onto the oiled surface and knead vigorously for 5–8 minutes, using a plastic scraper as needed to prise the dough from the work surface. Don’t be tempted to add flour, as this will make the buns dry and tough. Keep kneading until the dough is considerably less sticky, smoother and more elastic.
5. Step 5. Shape into a ball, and put into a large, greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place to prove for an hour, or until doubled in size.
6. Step 6. Meanwhile, for the filling and topping, mix the softened butter in a bowl with half the sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Use a fork to mix the sugar and spice into the butter until it is completely combined.
7. Step 7. Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.
8. Step 8. When the dough has risen, turn out onto a floured work surface and gently roll out into a 36x24cm/14x9½in rectangle. Spread the cinnamon-sugar-butter evenly over the dough with a table or palette knife.
9. Step 9. With the longest edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a cylinder. Cut into 12 even slices.
10. Step 10. Place each slice onto a flattened out paper cupcake case on a baking tray, or into a greased muffin tin. (Baking in a muffin tin will make your cinnamon buns taller and domed.)
11. Step 11. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to prove again for 30–45 minutes, or until risen.
12. Step 12. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
13. Step 13. Brush the tops of the buns with beaten egg and dust liberally with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 12 minutes until the buns are dark golden-brown. Enjoy warm with a cup of coffee.

Cook's notes

One pan, fewer dishes. Use the widest, heaviest skillet you own with a tight-fitting lid. The wider base means faster browning at the start; the lid traps the gentle steam that finishes the dish without scorching the bottom.

Salt as you go. Season the aromatics, season the protein, season the liquid before it reduces. By the time you taste at the end, the only adjustment is usually acid — a squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, a final crack of pepper.

Make it ahead. Like most one-pot dinners with norway roots, the leftovers are arguably better the next day. Cool quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen things back up.

Pairings & serving

This one feels best in a 6-bowl spread with a sharp green salad and something cold to drink. If you want to stretch it for unexpected company, double the liquid and a single starchy ingredient — rice, pasta, potatoes, depending on the recipe — and the whole pan grows without much extra work.

Watch it cooked

If you're a visual learner, there's a free walkthrough of this dish on YouTube.

Original recipe inspiration: source.