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Susan Jung

It wasn't until I started working as a pastry chef in Hong Kong that I realised that not everyone shared my love for cinnamony sweets. Every morning, I'd put a basket of cinnamon rolls in the bakery's pastry display and, every afternoon, I'd eat several of the rolls and offer some to the staff before throwing the rest away (thankfully for my waistline, I got the 'hint' after just a few weeks). I still like cinnamon but those who don't can omit the spice from these recipes and they will still work. 
Cinnamon rolls (pictured)
If you want warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast without having to wake up before dawn, make the dough the day before and give it two 'folds', then refrigerate it overnight. In the morning, brush the dough with melted butter and cinnamon sugar, roll it into a spiral and let it rise before baking. 
 25ml warm water (35 degrees Celsius)
 5 grams dry yeast
 50 grams granulated sugar, divided
 1/2 tsp fine-flaked sea salt
 1 large egg, at room temperature
 200ml whole milk, warmed to 35 degrees  
 80 grams unsalted butter, softened, cut  into pieces (about 5mm) 
 About 350 grams unbleached, plain  (all-purpose) flour, divided
 Oil, for greasing the bowl, work surface  and muffin tins
 For the filling and coating:
 About 120 grams unsalted butter, melted
 About 200 grams granulated sugar
 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon
 Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a small bowl and add a pinch of sugar (taken from the 50 grams). Stir the mixture together and leave until it starts to bubble slightly. Put 150 grams of flour in a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt and remainder of the 50 grams  of sugar. Use your hand or a sturdy wooden spoon to stir in the egg, milk and water/yeast mixture. Stir in more flour so the mixture  is slightly sticky but holds its shape, with no dry spots. Add the chunks of butter and mix briefly until the butter is evenly incorporated throughout the dough (the butter pieces should still be visible). Scrape the mixture into a lightly oiled bowl then flip it over so the oiled side is on top. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until the dough  has almost doubled in size. Punch it down to deflate the dough then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours. On a very lightly oiled work surface, roll out the dough until it's a 15cm x 22cm rectangle (dust the dough surface very lightly with flour if it sticks to the rolling pin). Fold one of the short sides towards the middle then fold the other short side up to cover it  so it's three even layers. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes then roll  the dough into a 10cm x 25cm rectangle and  fold again into thirds. Wrap tightly in  cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. At this point, you can let the dough rest overnight or freeze it to use later (I usually cut  the dough in two pieces and freeze half for another time). 
Melt the butter and let it cool to lukewarm. Mix the cinnamon with the sugar.  Cut the dough in half and roll one piece so  it's 10cm x 30cm. Brush the surface lightly but evenly with butter, leaving a 1cm edge  on one of the long ends, then sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough tightly into a spiral, working towards the edge that hasn't been brushed with butter. Pinch the seam tightly  to seal in the filling (if necessary, lightly moisten the edge with water). Run your palms along the roll to straighten it and stretch it to 32cm. Trim off the ends and  cut the roll into six even pieces, then put them into a lightly oiled muffin tin. Do the same with the second piece of dough. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes. 
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.  Bake the rolls for five minutes then decrease the heat to 180 degrees and bake for about 15 more minutes or until they're brown and firm (but not hard) to the touch. Liberally brush the whole surface of the hot rolls with melted butter then immediately dredge in cinnamon sugar. Let them cool slightly before eating. 
 Milk chocolate cinnamon truffles
 These truffles are coated in  untempered chocolate, which means they need to be stored in the fridge. Just before serving, roll them in sieved icing sugar. 
Use top-quality milk chocolate for both the filling and coating - don't try to substitute the cheaper 'coating chocolate', which tastes like plastic. 
 450 grams  milk chocolate
 230ml cream
 3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
 150 grams unsalted butter, softened
 Ground cinnamon, to taste
 For coating:
 About 500 grams  milk chocolate
 Icing sugar, sieved
 Put the cream and the cinnamon sticks in  a saucepan and heat over a low flame until simmering. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse for an hour, then pour through a sieve into a bowl. Heat the 450 grams of chocolate in a clean, dry bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring almost constantly until it's melted, smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter a chunk at a time, letting each chunk incorporate for adding more. Whisking constantly, add the cream slowly to create  a smooth, shiny mixture. Whisk in the  ground cinnamon to taste. Stirring occasionally, cool the mixture at room temperature until it's firm enough to scoop. Shape into balls about 1.5cm in diameter and chill until firm. 
Melt the 500 grams of chocolate over a saucepan of barely simmering water and  stir frequently until it's 80 per cent melted. Remove from the heat and stir until it's melted and smooth. Dip the truffles into the chocolate and roll them between your palms to coat them lightly, then place on a tray lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm then store the truffles in an airtight container. Just before serving, roll the truffles in icing sugar and shake off the excess.
Styling Corner Kitchen Cooking School



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