I’m a creature of habit. My husband is too. Every Saturday and Sunday, we take a walk to our local Starbucks around 11:30 a.m. And while we’re waiting in line to order our coffees, I’ll often check out the bakery case offerings. I know neither of us will buy anything (why would we when I can bake my own treats?), but it’s fun to take a peek for inspiration.
I’m never really tempted by their cakes, muffins or scones, but the morning buns always catch my eye. If you’ve never seen or tasted a morning bun, imagine a croissant and a cinnamon roll wrapped up in one. It’s flaky and buttery, and a bit messy to eat due to the thick coating of cinnamon and sugar enrobing and in between the layers of dough. And to be honest, I never had one until now – and I owe my first taste to Lady and Pups.
When I stumbled upon Mandy’s speed folding, peanut sugar morning buns recipe, I had to give it a try. For one thing, it looked amazing. And second, unlike most morning bun recipes that call for croissant dough (which requires 14 hours and sticks upon sticks of butter to prepare), Mandy’s version can be made in much less time and with a little less fat. (I’ve been hesitant to make croissants from scratch – the amount of butter involved horrifies me, quite frankly.) The technique she uses may be “quick and dirty,” but the results are nothing short of amazing. Served with a cup of hot coffee, these decadent pastries can be enjoyed in the morning, afternoon or evening.
Recipe adapted from Lady and Pups.
- ½ cup skinless peanuts
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast, divided
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons warm milk
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Toast the peanuts in a fry pan over medium-low heat until slightly golden. Transfer to a bowl and freeze for at least 30 minutes; this will prevent the peanuts from turning into butter when processed.
- In a food processor, pulse the cold peanuts and granulated sugar until finely ground. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the warm water, ¼ teaspoon yeast and 1 cup flour. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the butter filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the cold butter and flour on low speed. Increase to medium speed and beat until creamy. Transfer the butter filling to a small bowl and set aside.
- Continue making the dough by adding remaining ¾ teaspoon yeast and 1¼ cups flour, brown sugar, salt, and milk to the water/yeast/flour mixture. Stir everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it's smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (less if using a stand mixer).
- Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with more flour and press into a 12″x10″ rectangle. Then roll it out lengthwise to about 20″ long.
- Dot the butter filling evenly over the dough and gently smear in an even layer all the way to the edges.
- Using a bench scraper, mark out the length of the dough into 6 equal parts. Lift one side up and fold it over 5 times until you get to the end of the dough. Gently pinch the seams together and turn the dough 90 degrees. Use a wooden skewer or toothpick to poke a few holes in the dough; this will allow the trapped air to escape in the second rolling.
- Roll the dough out again lengthwise to about 20″ long. Using a bench scraper, mark out the length of the dough into 6 equal parts. Lift one side up and fold it over 5 times until you get to the end of the dough.
- Place the dough on a flour-dusted baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and roll it out into a 12″x10″ rectangle. Sprinkle ½ cup of peanut sugar in an even layer over the top of the dough and then roll it up lengthwise into a long log. Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 6 2″-wide segments.
- Butter 6 jumbo muffin cups and coat with peanut sugar. Place the segments into the muffin cups, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough is slightly puffed, 1-2 hours.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Remove the buns from the muffin cups and let cool completely. Then roll the buns in more peanut sugar and serve.
These look delish. Is the peanut flavor very noticeable? Have you tried replacing the peanuts with almonds?
Thanks, Tracy! The peanut flavor is pretty subtle and I bet an almond version would be delicious!
I really like your post, It would be nice if you post with the picture to show every step…
thanks
Thanks! Mandy of Lady and Pups has fantastic step-by-step photos of the process – check the link above the recipe.