Yes, the title really fits with these buns!

Yet again I delved into the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book today as I have had my eye on a recipe for Dark and Dangerous Cinnamon Buns since I first flipped through it. Because of the time needed for the recipe, I decided I better wait for a free weekend to attempt them.

Once the ingredients for the dough have been mixed together, it is left to sit, before you begin the kneading process, so the flour can absorb the liquid and let the yeast get a head start as it is filled with whole grains. Once it had time to rest, kneading the dough seemed to go much quicker and I hardly needed any flour to keep it from sticking to my hands. The use of potato flakes and dried milk gave the dough a soft and smooth texture so it was easy to tell when the dough was ready for its first rise. The filling for the rolls is a little different - you don't need to smear the rolled out dough with softened butter! Instead, robust dark brown sugar and quite a lot of cinnamon are made into a paste with the addition of an egg white. As you go to roll the dough into a log, be sure not to roll it too tight - this will give it some room to expand as it rises and the center of the cinnamon buns will not shoot up when baked. While you can use a serrated knife to portion out the dough, I have always found that the easiest way is with unflavored dental floss - this way you don't risk smooshing the filling out or squishing the dough.

Once baked, the rolls are slathered with a tantalizing creamy vanilla frosting - we wanted to have a fairly thick layer on top, so we let the buns cool down a bit before we frosted them. If you want the icing to melt and seep into the cracks dispersing the rich sweetness throughout the inside, be sure to spread them while they are fairly warm. If I didn't already know what these buns were made of, I would have never guessed it was 100% whole grain. A wonderful bonus comes with having so much honey in the dough - they will keep their freshness for several days if you keep them well covered at room temperature! I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow (and dessert!).

Recipes
Dark and Dangerous Cinnamon Buns