Sticky Toffee Morning Buns

Morning buns are created from croissant dough which makes them different from cinnamon buns.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword buns, morning, sticky, toffee

Prep Time 9

Cook Time 35

Servings morning buns

Calories 753kcal

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional as needed for greasing the pan
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
6 ounces pitted Medjool dates, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons orange zest

Add the warm milk, brown sugar and yeast to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment and let sit until the yeast becomes foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 3½ cups of the flour and the salt. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together and is smooth and soft, about 7 minutes. Add additional flour if needed.
Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for about 2 minutes so the dough is soft and slightly sticky, adding additional flour a little at a time if needed. Form the dough into a 1½” thick rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Arrange the sticks of butter horizontally on a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to pound the butter so that it is pliable. Scrape butter into a block and put on a sheet of plastic wrap then cover with another sheet. Pound and roll out the butter until it forms an 8” x 5” rectangle.
Roll the dough out into a 16” x 10” rectangle. Arrange the dough with the short side facing you. Put the butter in the center of the dough then fold the bottom third over the butter then the top third down over the dough, as you would a letter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
Repeat the previous steps to make 3 more folds, chilling after each fold. Wrap and chill at least 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Butter and sugar two jumbo (6-cup) muffin tins. In a small bowl stir together the butter, brown sugar, dates, cinnamon and orange zest.
Roll out the dough into a 16” x 20” rectangle. Spread the sugar mixture over the dough. Start at the longest side away from you and roll the dough towards you into a long tube. Cut the tube into 1” pieces and add each to a cup of the prepared muffin tin. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour then bake until golden brown and flakey, about 35 minutes. Let cool.

Add the cream, butter, brown sugar and maple syrup to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently. Simmer the mixture until it becomes thick and syrupy, about 6 minutes then remove from heat. Blend the mixture using an immersion blender or in a stand blender until the mixture is emulsified.
Drizzle the sauce over the morning buns and serve.