Cinnamon buns are to many something from a can or purchased at a mall kiosk, but the homemade buns are where it’s at. It’s a rich and puffy dough that gets brown and crispy but only in a delicate, bun-like fashion. The rest is all smushy doughy goodness. They’re fluffy and pull apart with no effort, like the best desserts.
This would be a good time to use fancy sugars, spices, and eggs and butter, since you’ll be tasting so much of that in the finished product. You also don’t have to use strictly cinnamon; adding other zippy spices to the mix like ginger, clove, and cardamom make things more interesting. Copious amounts of butter and sugar and now THC are all supporting roles for some of the best buns around.
Canna-Cinnamon Buns
Smitten Kitchen 2009, with amendments
Makes 15 buns, 4mg THC per bun estimated
Dough
- ¼ cup half and half
- ¾ cup warm water
- 3 Tablespoons cannabutter*
- 3 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- ¾ cup demerara sugar
- ½ stick unsalted butter, softened
- 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon clove
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
To create the dough, mix in a stand mixer or bread machine until you have a very wet looking blob. A bread machine will do the rising for you, but if you’re not taking that approach, dispense into a well oiled bowl and cover with oiled plastic wrap, allow to rise for at least an hour. It should triple in size and now be a giant fluffy cloud of goodness.
Plop the dough on a floured surface and roll into a sheet. Spread room temperature butter over the sheet, then add all of your delicious spices and sugar.
Roll this sheet into a log, then cut it with a sharp or serrated knife into about 15 slices. Arrange the slices in a square metal or glass baking dish that has been generously greased, then allow to rise again for 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees when you’re ⅔ of the way through the second rise.
Pop in your pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, keeping close watch.
They will bake up rather quickly so if your oven runs hot drop the temp to 350 degrees. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before digging in.
*Cannabutter
Decarboxylate 3.5g of finely ground cannabis at 225 degrees for 20 minutes in a tightly sealed, oven-safe container. Put cannabis in lidded mason jar or vacuum sealed bag with cannabis and one stick of butter. Heat in water bath just under boiling for at least 1 hour. Strain and chill to use in recipes.
Now for the fun part: spices like cinnamon and cardamom can actually help you get more high from a single dose of THC. The same flavors in those spices are the terpenes that make a cannabis strain have different effects, like myrcene. Play with the ratios and you can change the effects, but it’s all still going to taste like that yummy cinnamon that makes firm memories every time you fill up the house with their delightful presence. Try sealing some up individually and freezing, then you can have a single serving, medicated breakfast anytime!
Photos: Maria Penaloza
