Guilt-Free Breakfast

Vegetarian Times, Dec, 1998 by Kathy Farrell-Kingsley

Homemade cinnamon buns that are light on fat, not flavor.

The holiday season is upon us, and what better way to show family and friends that you care than by sharing a batch of warm-from-the-oven cinnamon buns with them. While almost everyone would love to be the recipient of these tender buns, with their buttery cinnamon filling, many of us would steer clear because of our desire to keep fat grams to a minimum.

So we decided to create a low-fat version of this classic American treat. To our co-workers' delight, we whipped up several batches of these heavenly buns in our test kitchen. But in the process, we discovered that low-fat baking is an elusive art. Although there are definite guidelines (such as using applesauce as a fat substitute and replacing each whole egg with two egg whites), following them may not always go far enough or even work at all.

Baking, like chemistry, is a complex science; each ingredient in a recipe serves a particular function. Of all the ingredients in baked goods, butter is the trickiest to tinker with because it does so much: It tenderizes, moisturizes, adds flakiness and carries the flavor and aroma.

After many attempts at reducing the fat in these buns, we concluded that we couldn't eliminate the butter altogether or substitute it with another ingredient with acceptable results. Instead, we drastically reduced the amount used in the dough and cut the amount in the filling in half.

For the dough, we used skim milk instead of whole and reduced the number of eggs. The final product tasted lighter than its fat-laden counterpart but didn't lose any of its delicious home-spun flavor. And the best part of all is that the buns can be prepared almost completely ahead of time and baked fresh in the morning.

Cinnamon Buns

MAKES 16 OVO-LACTO

Cinnamon buns studded with raisins are an American Sunday breakfast classic. They're best served warm, straight out of the oven.

2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 [degrees] to 115 [degrees] F)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm skim milk (105 [degrees] to 115 [degrees] F)
1 tsp. salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
4 Tbs. butter, softened
1 cup raisins or currants
1 egg white mixed with 1 tsp. water

Cinnamon Sugar

1/4 cup sugar mixed with
1 tsp. cinnamon

Sprinkle yeast over water in large bowl of electric mixer. Add 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Let stand until yeast is foamy (about 5 minutes).

Add remaining sugar, milk and salt to bowl and stir. Add 3 cups of the flour. Mix to blend at medium speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Beat in whole egg to incorporate. Stir in remaining flour and knead with dough hook until satiny and smooth, 12 to 15 minutes. You may need to stop mixer and push down dough as it rises above hook.

Turn dough in a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hours, until it doubles in bulk.

Punch dough down. Cover with inverted bowl and let rest another 10 minutes.

Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14 x 18-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with 4 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Sprinkle evenly with raisins or currants.

Starting from an 18-inch side, roll dough jelly-roll fashion; moisten along edge and pinch to seal. Cut roll into 16 equal pieces. Arrange slices, cut sides down, in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan sprayed well with cooking spray. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 [degrees] F. Brush egg white lightly over rolls. Bake until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Per Bun: 225 Cal.; 5g Prot.; 4g Total Fat (2g Sat. Fat); 44g Carb.; 21mg Chol.; 173mg Sod.; 2g Fiber.

Note: To make ahead of time, prepare buns and arrange in baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The buns will slowly rise over the next 8 to 12 hours. When you're ready to bake them, bring buns to room temperature. Remove plastic and bake as directed.

Kathy Farrell-Kingsley is food editor of Vegetarian Times.