Morning Buns, á la Starbucks

     So, Starbucks has many sweet items.  Frankly, for a person who doesn't drink coffee, it's a bit embarrassing how well I know the options available.  However, as the options at work are either the cafeteria with less than stellar items, or the handily placed Starbucks in the lobby, I give myself a free pass on this.
     I first discovered Morning Buns last summer, when I evidently packed an inadequate amount of breakfast before work.  These items are amazing.  They have a form similar to a cinnamon roll, but are much more tender and delicate.  And they skip the icing.  They are crusted on the outside with cinnamon and sugar, so what's not to like?
     Not to spend all my hard-earned dollars at a coffee chain, I set out to mimic this item at home.  I did find a few recipes online, and have riffed on them to create the following.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can make the dough a day or 2 ahead, and chill it, making it a realistic breakfast option, without getting up hours before the lucky recipients.
     I find this to be an excellent use of a bread maker, to mix the dough, as it can otherwise be a bit sticky.

Morning Buns

1 1/2 T yeast

1/2 c milk

1 3/4 - 2 3/4 c flour, divided

1 t almond extract

2 eggs

3 T sugar

1/2 t salt

8 T butter, softened

Rolling mix:  2-4 T butter, melted

         1/2 c sugar

         1 t cinnamon

Make a loose dough out of yeast, milk, 1 c. flour.  Let sit 20 minutes.  Add almond extract, eggs, sugar, salt and enough flour to make a soft sticky dough,  knead until smooth.  Add butter in pieces, knead 10 minutes more.   If using the bread maker, make the loose dough, stop the mixing, and then restart the machine, adding the remaining ingredients as above.  

Let rise 1 1/2 hours, punch down,  chill at least 2 hours, or overnight, or up to 2 days. 

Roll out to about 8 x 10 inches, brush with 1T butter, and 1-2 T sugar, leave one long end free.  Roll up and seal the long end,  cut into 12 pieces.  A piece of strong thread can help with the cutting, so that it doesn't get too squashed:  gently run the thread under the rolled dough, cross the thread and pull.  

Place the pieces gently into a well-oiled muffin tin, let rise.  If you used the shorter chill time, you can let them rise overnight, and finish it in the morning. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Watch carefully so that they don't brown too much.  I found that they need to be covered with foil, half-way through, to limit browning.  

Remove from oven and while hot, brush with melted butter, then roll the buns in a mix of sugar and cinnamon.