For breakfast, I typically eat cereal, Greek Yogurt + granola, or scrambled eggs.  But you know what I love to eat for breakfast more than anything in the entire world?!  CINNAMON ROLLS.  On the rare occasion that I make them, I make my Grandma Billie’s Cinnamon Rolls recipe.  But I almost always make my husband order one if we’re at a decent breakfast establishment so I can take um… a few bites, without feeling like I’ve eaten the entire thing.  I made something similar for our special Sunday breakfast last weekend:  Cinnamon Twist Pastries.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries

These Cinnamon Twist Pastries are not as bulky and dense as your typical cinnamon roll.  The dough turns out a soft and tender pastry with just a little bit of cinnamon tucked into the twists.  A light drizzle of glaze adds sweetness on top.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Dough Rise

The recipe starts with the dough.  Sometimes I use my KitchenAid Mixer to do the kneading for me, but I’m without a mixer at the moment.  I stood and kneaded the dough on my counter until it was smooth and elastic.  I actually rather liked doing the kneading.  It felt… homesteady.  I might even do it again.  If all goes well, the dough is plopped into a bowl, and after an hour or so, it rises to the top of the bowl.  Two important success factors:  newly purchased yeast and warm (not too hot and not too cold) water.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Preparation

Follow those directions up there:  Roll out the dough, brush with butter, sprinkle cinnamon/sugar, then fold the dough in half and seal the edges.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Cut

Slice strips of dough with that cinnamony sugar peeking out the middle.  I use my rockstar pizza cutter.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Baking Sheet

Carefully move the strips to a baking sheet (either greased or lined with silpat mats or parchment).

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Twist

Give each strip of dough a few twists!

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Platter

Bake 15 minutes, and out come the pastries.

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - Drizzle

Drizzle the sweet vanilla glaze on top.  You can choose to be generous with the glaze (and make more to accommodate that), or you can just drizzle a thin glaze on top.  This picture here is what your pastries will look like if you have my husband do the drizzling (smiling)…

Cinnamon Twist Pastries - RecipeGirl.com #breakfast

…but here’s more what they’re supposed to look like.  Just a nice back and forth drizzle.  Apparently it’s a “skill.”  SOOOO, these made a nice Sunday AM breakfast treat.  We all loved the soft texture of the pastry and enjoyed the fact that it was not completely laden with butter and goo.

I wrapped these individually in foil and froze them.  They thawed nicely at room temperature and were able to be enjoyed on a spur-of-the-moment cinnamon-twist craving.  Plus, the freezer is a safer place for these to hang out, don’t you think?  If things like this hang out on my counter too long, I pull a piece off, and then I pull off another piece and another… until I just give up and eat the whole thing.  Before you know it… 3 pastries gone!  NOT GOOD!  🙂

Cinnamon Twist Pastries
5 from 1 vote

Cinnamon Twist Pastries

A soft, fresh pastry your family will love.
Prep: 35 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Rising Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 18 pastries
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Ingredients

PASTRY

FILLING

GLAZE

Instructions 

  • In a mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add the buttermilk, butter, sugar, egg, salt and baking soda; mix well. Stir in the flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (incorporating a sprinkle or two more flour, as needed), about 6 to 8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled, about 1½ hours.
  • Punch the dough down. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 18 x 9 inch rectangle; brush with the melted butter. Combine the brown sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over the dough. Fold in half lengthwise, forming a 18 x 4½ inch rectangle; pinch edges to seal. Cut into 4½ x 1 inch strips (using a pizza cutter is easiest) and place them 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets (or silpat lined). Twist each strip two or three times. Cover the baking sheets loosely with a clean dishtowel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake twists for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Whisk together the glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm twists.

Notes

  • Warm buttermilk will appear curdled, but this is normal.
  • These can be frozen! Wrap each individually in foil, defrost at room temperature when ready to eat.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 166mg, Potassium: 63mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 178IU, Vitamin C: 0.003mg, Calcium: 28mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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53 Comments

  1. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says:

    Oh my goodness, I need these now! Totally easy and fun to make for fall!

  2. Rica says:

    I was reading your direction and noticed you wrote down eggs but your ingredients say just 1 egg. So which is correct?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      It is just one egg- sorry for the confusion! (fixed)

  3. Row says:

    Looks like the perfect afternoon treat… great with a cup of coffee or tea. Thanks! 🙂

  4. Melissa M says:

    I think I see Sunday breakfast!
    Thanks for those great step by step directions, too!

  5. Erin | The Law Student's Wife says:

    Lori, we have such a similar approach on breakfast! I make my husband order a cinnamon roll when we are out so that I can take a few bites for “research purposes.” I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect recipe, so I’m definitely going to try your Grandma Billie’s next (and maybe shape them into twists when I’m in the mood to switch it up!)

  6. Debbie says:

    I can literally smell cinnamon radiating from your photographs! Yum!

  7. Maegan @ The BakerMama says:

    I’m obsessed with these and can’t wait to try them! They look like the perfect ratio of dough, filling and glaze. Yum! And they would be great to serve to a crowd for breakfast or brunch!

  8. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says:

    I love cinnamon rolls, and my 8 year old could probably live on them if I let him. These twists are such a fun idea, and they look perfect for a weekend breakfast!

  9. Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says:

    What a great “twist” on cinnamon rolls! 🙂

  10. Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction says:

    Lori,
    I wouldn’t limit these to breakfast – they would be great any time during the day.
    Pinned.
    Annamaria