cinnamon buns

the first cinnamon bun recipe i've seen that doesn't require several hours of yeast dough-rising foresight. can be prepared and baked in less than an hour, and if the rave reviews i got from a bunch of drunk boys are any indication, you will not miss the yeast.

fastest cinnamon buns
recipe (tweaked slightly) from the quick recipe
makes 8 medium sized buns.

• 8 tbsps (1 stick) melted butter (melt the whole thing in a bowl at the beginning and take out tablespoons throughout the recipe as you need them)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 6 tbsps white sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves (or nutmeg)
• 1/8 tsp + 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk*

for glaze:

• 2 tbsps softened cream cheese
• 2 1/2 tbsps milk (recipe calls for buttermilk here, but regular milk works fine)
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar

*there's really no point in buying buttermilk when you can make it really quickly. to make it, follow the ratio of 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice per cup of buttermilk. to make 1 1/4 cup as called for here, put 1 1/4 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and then fill the cup with milk (i always use soymilk) until it hits the 1 1/4 cup line. allow to sit for a few minutes (weird bubbly things will happen at the surface). for more information, see this page.

adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 425°F. brush a round 9-inch nonstick cake pan with 1 tablespoon butter.

to make filling, combine the brown sugar, 4 tbsps granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves/nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp salt in a small bowl. add 1 tbsp melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand; set aside.
to make the dough, whisk together the flour, remaining 2 tbsps sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. whisk together the buttermilk and 2 tbsps butter in a measuring cup.

add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed (the dough will look shaggy), about 30 seconds. transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy, about 30 seconds.
pat the dough into a 12 x 9" rectangle. brush with 2 tbsps melted butter. sprinkle with brown sugar filling, leaving a 1/2-inch border. press the filling firmly into the dough. loosen dough from work surface with a metal spatula. starting at a long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. pinch the seam to seal. roll the log seam-side down and cut it evenly into 8 pieces.

turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and with your hand, slightly flatten each piece of dough to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place. place 1 roll in the center of the prepared pan and then place the remaining 7 rolls around the perimeter of the pan. brush the rolls with the remaining 2 tbsps butter.

bake until the edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes. use an offset metal spatula to loosen the buns from the pan. wearing oven mitts, place a large plate over the pan and invert the buns onto the plate. cool about 5 minutes before glazing.
to make glaze, whisk the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). sift the confectioners' sugar over the mixture and whisk until a smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds. spoon the glaze evenly over the buns; serve immediately.*

*i didn't have confectioner's sugar on hand, so instead i heated up a scant cup of granulated sugar and a few tbsps soymilk in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly for a few minutes until the granules melted and the mixture was smooth. i then removed it from the heat and whisked in the cream cheese until smooth.