See original recipe here, makes about 2 dozen buns; updates based on this Bon Appetit recipe, April 2020.
Makes 9 large buns
For the dough:
1/4 cup water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk or whole milk yogurt at room temperature
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt (or just a pinch if you use salted butter)
3 cups unbleached white flour
For the filling:
3/4 cup King Arthur Baker’s Cinnamon Filling, and 2 – 3 tablespoons water
OR
Use this filling
OR
Date filling:
1 lightly packed cup of pitted and chopped dates, preferably Medjool
!/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
pinch of kosher salt
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened – microwave for about 10 seconds if you forget to leave it out
1 lightly packed cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Make the dough: Pour the 1/4 cup water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in the yeast, and let it soften. Add the sugar and buttermilk or yogurt. With the paddle beater, mix in the salt and a cup or two of flour. Start adding the butter by tablespoons. Add enough of the rest of the flour to make a very soft dough. Mix/knead on medium speed for five minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a plastic container with room to let it rise. 2 quarts is a good size if you have one, otherwise cover the mixing bowl airtight. Refrigerate the dough for 8 hours or up to 24.
Make the filling: Place the dates in a heat proof bowl and pour in 1 cup boiling water. Let stand to soften, 10 minutes or more. Drain the dates, and puree in a food processor with the sugar, oil, and salt. You can refrigerate the filling while the dough rises in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature before assembling the buns or it wil be difficult to spread.
Assemble and bake the buns: Grease a 10-12″ cast-iron skillet or 9-10″ cake pan with vegetable oil or butter. Remove the dough from the fridge, and scrape out onto a very lightly floured surface. I like to use a pastry cloth (sometimes called a frame); it’s a piece of heavy cotton printed with a ruler and circles for rolling out the dough. Roll the dough out to an 8″ square. Fold in half into an 8 x 4″ rectangle, then fold rectangle over itself to form a 4″ square. If the dough resists, let it rest about 5 minutes to relax and try again. After the second folding, roll out the dough to a 10 x 12″ rectangle. Dollop the cinnamon filling of your choice onto the sough and spread it, leaving about a 1-inch border on one of the long sides, and going right up to the edge on the short sides.
Roll the dough up tightly and pinch closed. Cut the roll into 9 slices with a chef’s knife or (unflavored!) dental floss and place them in the pan. Cover the pan with a domed lid if you have one, or greased foil if not. Let the covered buns rise until puffy, 1 to 1 1/2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is.
Heat the oven to 350° and bake the still-covered buns for about 20 minutes, until they are risen and firm but not browned. Remove the lid, and continue to bake another 15-25 minutes until nicely browned.
Finish: While the buns are baking, mix up the glaze. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
When the buns are done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over and serve warm!
