We all love cinnamon buns.

Sweet, soft, buttery goodness. The only thing better than a little cinnamon bun is a giant one! And this is not just some bland giant version of something. This is a huge version of something delicious which keeps true to the original. The texture is there, the flavour and the layers. The cream cheese icing makes this irresistible. If you are not into giant buns, then you can check out my regular cinnamon bun recipe here.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the ‘flying sponge’ –

200g (7oz) strong white bread flour

6g (0.2oz) dry yeast or 3x the amount of fresh yeast

270g (9.5oz) milk at 17C (62F).

To learn more about dough temperature when using a preferment click here.

For the main dough –

300g (10.6oz) strong white bread flour

10g (0.35oz) salt

80g (2.8oz) soft butter

80g (2.8oz) sugar

Filling –

100g (3.5oz) sugar

10g (0.35oz) cinnamon

80g (2.8oz) soft butter

Cream cheese icing –

120g (4.2oz) icing sugar

60g (2.1oz) cream cheese

20g (0.7oz) soft butter

6g (0.2oz) vanilla paste

6g (0.2oz) warm water

Sugar syrup –

30g (1oz) sugar

20g (0.7oz) water

Bring this up to a boil to brush over the bun when it comes out of the oven.

Method

1. Make the flying sponge by mixing the milk, yeast, and flour. Leave to ferment for 1 hour or until visibly puffed up and airy.
2. Add the salt and sugar to the preferment. Mix to dissolve any large salt and sugar crystals. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
3. Tip it out on your work surface and knead for 3 minutes. Tear in the butter. Knead for another 4 minutes. Desired dough temperature 26 – 27C (77-79F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
4. Cover and ferment for 45 – 60 minutes.
5. Fold.
6. Ferment for another 45 – 60 minutes. During this time, you can prepare the filling by mixing the soft butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Make the topping while you’re at it. Simply mix the icing sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, butter, and water until smooth.
7. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle. Spread the cinnamon sugar all over in a thin layer. Slice the dough into 4 long strips horizontally. Roll up one strip, then place it on the next one and roll that up too. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Place in a parchment paper lined cake tin. I used a 20cm (8in) tin. You could use a slightly larger one if you wish.
9. Final proof 1 – 1.5 hours or until doubled in size. During this time preheat your oven to 160C (320F) fan on.
10. Bake for around 80 minutes. If your loaf starts going too dark, then cover it with foil to prevent it getting any darker.
11. Brush with the sugar syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let is set in the tin for 10 minutes before removing.
12. Let it cool down completely before covering with icing.

Enjoy your massive bun! ?