Sticky Date Cinnamon Buns

warm winter pudding meets everyone's favourite super soft buns

During the month of Ramadan, it's almost guaranteed that those observing the fast will have dates in their pantry. So what better recipe to make than these soft, naturally sweetened cinnamon buns that are such a treat for tea after taraweeh (the night prayers in Ramadan). My first disclaimer must be that it doesn't taste like traditional cinnamon buns because the sweetness that comes from the dates isn't a brown sugar sweetness. Seems obvious enough but as a substitute, it's a completely new flavour profile. As for the buns, it's honestly such a perfect canvas to carry the filling while not being too sweet on its own, making the bittersweet caramel sauce a delightful pairing.

When making the date caramel, you'd need to soak the dates first to make the blending of the skin easier. Be sure not to add too much of the soaking water as it will result in a runny caramel rather than a stiff, spreadable one. Only use the water as it's needed. I used walnuts for this recipe, but pecans work as well or even no nuts. With the caramel, I like to take it as far as a can without burning for a more darker caramel. This way it's not overpowering the buns, but rather a compliment. The recipe for the buns is from Comfort of Cooking, but I've converted it into grams as that's a more accurate measure according to how it resulted for me.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and do let me know how you find it. If you need a visual as to how to make this, here's a little video for you :)

RECIPE:

Buns:

• 118g water

• 10g yeast

• 123g milk

• 50g sugar

• 1 egg

• 75g butter

• 435g flour

• 1 tsp salt

Filling:

• 250g dates

• hot water for soaking dates

• 100g walnuts/pecans

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon

Caramel:

• 200g sugar

• 50g butter

• 120g cream

Method:

1. Add lukewarm warm water, milk and sugar to a bowl. Add your yeast, cover and let it become frothy. Make sure your water is not hot as this will kill your yeast.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the flour and salt

3. Add your yeast mixture and egg to the flour

4. Using your dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it forms a shaggy dough.

5. While your mixer is on, drop pieces of softened butter into the dough and carry on kneading. Wait until one piece has fully incorporated before you add the rest.

6. Knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

7. Close your bowl with cling wrap/cloth and place in a warm spot for 2 hours or until it's doubled in size.

8. While your dough is rising, make your filling by soaking your dates in hot water for 5 minutes. After that time, place the dates with some of the water (if needed only) to a blender and blend until smooth and spreadable. Add your cinnamon to this mixture.

9. Preheat your oven on 180C and make your caramel by heating the sugar in a pot on a low heat. Do not use anything to stir the sugar, just swirl the pot until all the crystals has melted. Once your melted sugar has turned amber, cook it a little further until its slightly darker and do not take your eyes off it as it can burn easily here.

10. Once the caramel is the perfect colour, take it off the heat and add your butter in pieces. This will cause a reaction so be careful. Whisk the butter in the sugar and once fully incorporated, slowly add your cream. It might look separated but after a minute of whisking it will come together and will thicken as it cools.

11. Once your dough has doubled in size, transfer to a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle, roughly 50cm x 25cm. Make 100% sure that your dough does not stick to the surface.

12. Spread your filling generously across the dough and add your chopped nuts. Begin rolling your dough lengthwise into a log.

13. Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough into equal parts. Alternatively, use floss or a piece of cotton to cut the dough into rounds without damaging the shape. You can see how to do this here, this is my preferred method. For the best shape, you should get 12 or 13 rounds out of this dough.

14. Place your buns into a deep oven tray, making sure that they do not touch. Cover with the cling wrap from step 7 and let it proof for a further 30-40 minutes.

15. Once proofed, place into a preheated oven on 180C and bake for 20-25 minutes. After the initial 10 minutes, rotate your tray and carry on baking. If your buns are golden brown after 20 minutes, you can take it out.

16. Once your buns are out of the oven, pour your caramel over the buns and enjoy!