Description
These soft, sweet Homemade Honey Buns have the same melt-in-your-mouth texture that you love from store-bought honey buns! Sticky and sweet with a cinnamon sugar filling, and a creamy homemade glaze.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough:
- ½ cup warm water
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon active yeast
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¼ cup shortening, melted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
For the Glaze:
- 4 ⅔ cups powdered sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Warm water, as needed
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine water, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and yeast. Whisk together until just combined, then let sit for 5 minutes until frothy.
- Swap the attachment to a dough hook, then add in the remaining sugar, flour, honey, shortening, egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Knead on medium speed for 8 minutes. The dough will be sticky but should stretch and be transparent.
- Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- While the dough is rising, make the cinnamon sugar by whisking the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to 12” long and 8” wide. Dust with the cinnamon sugar mixture and gently press it into the dough.
- Roll the dough up from the long side, then turn the roll diagonally. Use a knife to score 8 equal pieces (about 1” each). Trim the ends and cut the scored sections.
- Place each piece onto a parchment-lined baking sheet with at least 2” of space between them. Shape them slightly with your fingers, then let rise for about 45 minutes until puffy but not doubled.
- Halfway through the rise time, heat oil in a large pan or stockpot over medium heat until it reaches 365°F.
- Once risen, gently press down on each bun, then fry in batches. Cook for 90 seconds per side until golden brown.
- While frying, whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding ⅓ to ½ cup warm water until the desired consistency is reached.
- Remove honey buns from the oil, place on a wire cooling rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet, and gently press down to flatten. Immediately dip each bun into the glaze.
- Repeat the frying and glazing process with the remaining honey buns.
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Microwave for 5-10 seconds before serving. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Yeast Tips: Use water at 105°-110°F to properly activate the yeast.
- Shortening Substitute: You can use melted butter instead of shortening.
- Flattening: Pressing down at each stage helps achieve the dense, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Best the Next Day: Letting the honey buns sit in an airtight container for a day enhances their softness.
- Milk Substitute: Warm milk can be used instead of warm water in the dough.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 honey bun
- Calories: 422 kcal
- Sugar: 78g
- Sodium: 6g
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 80mg
- Fiber: 194mg
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 51g