7 Breakfast Bun Recipes for Sweet, Sweet Mornings

A sweet breakfast bun for every day of the week.

By
The Serious Eats Team
The Serious Eats Team
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Published March 05, 2020
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Vicky Wasik

We love a good diner-style omelette, and we'll never say no to a plate of golden-brown hash browns. But some mornings we want something a little bit—okay, maybe a lot—sweeter. That's when we call on one of these seven recipes for sticky, glazed, sweet breakfast buns. Maybe today's a good day for double-caramel sticky buns, or perhaps you're in the mood for gently flavored pistachio buns with a pistachio paste-loaded frosting.

To make many of these buns, the real work happens the night before, when you'll mix the dough, shape the rolls, and leave them to rest. That means that all you'll have to do in the morning is preheat your oven, slide the buns in, and wait for them to cook. We can't think of a better way to start the day.

  • One-Bowl, Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

    3:50

    One-Bowl Cinnamon Rolls

    Cinnamon rolls are the perfect breakfast for a lazy start to the day. And to make these, you'll barely have to lift a finger in the morning. You can make the dough, the filling, and the frosting the day before. The baked rolls are fluffy, just sweet enough, and will fill your kitchen with an aroma that'll wake up the rest of the house.

  • Overnight Chocolate-Hazelnut Breakfast Buns

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    Vicky Wasik

    Here's another bun recipe that requires almost no day-of work. As is the case for our cinnamon rolls, these chocolate-hazelnut buns and their frosting are made the day before. Though the method for making these rolls might be similar, the buns are completely unique. We fill them with homemade Nutella and top them off with a whipped-mascarpone frosting.

  • Pistachio Buns

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    Vicky Wasik

    From the dough to the filling to the frosting, every element of these buns is packed with pistachio flavor. Homemade pistachio paste is folded into the dough, mixed with butter for the filling, and blended with cream for the frosting. The final product is a tray of light green buns with a powerfully nutty flavor and an irresistibly pillowy texture.

  • Spiced Vanilla Hot Cross Buns

    To Frost, or Not to Frost
    If you like, finish the hot cross buns with a frosting made from 4 ounces powdered sugar (about 1 cup; 115g), 1 tablespoon heavy cream (1/2 ounce; 15ml), 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt, stirred together until smooth and creamy. Vicky Wasik

    These hot cross buns are loaded with aromatics and dried fruit, so they aren't dependent on a slow fermentation to provide flavor to the dough. The buns are rich with vanilla, lemony coriander, cinnamon, allspice, candied orange peel, chewy cherries, and tart apricot. Bake the buns until they reach a lovely golden color, then create the iconic cross on each one with a super-simple and tasty frosting.

    Continue to 5 of 7 below

  • Light and Tender Chinese Lotus Seed Buns Recipe

    Light and Tender Lotus Seed Buns
    These fluffy, sweet buns are flavored with a paste made from lotus flower seeds. The mixture of all-purpose flour with cornstarch inhibits gluten formation, resulting in a lighter, more tender bun. Get the recipe » [Photograph: Shao Z.]. Shao Z.

    These light and fluffy buns are flavored with a lotus seed paste, which has a flavor similar to that of chestnuts. The stuffed and steamed buns are just as delicious as the ones you'll find at a Chinese bakery and go perfectly with a tall glass of bubble tea—or coffee.

  • Sticky Buns

    Caramel Sticky Buns
    Extra ooey gooey sticky buns that every mom will love. Get the recipe! [Photograph: Caroline Russock]. Vicky Wasik

    These tender and light (well, light for a sticky bun, at least) rolls get covered in a gooey, glorious caramel when they come out of the oven. Before serving, allow the buns to soak in the caramel so that their crisp tops and edges soak up as much of the sugary mixture as possible.

  • Double-Caramel Sticky Buns

    Vicky Wasik

    To those of you who think a caramel sticky bun isn't caramel-y enough, we present the double-caramel sticky bun. Toasted sugar in the dough, filling and the caramel mixture itself doubles down on the caramel flavor at every stage of baking. Though optional, swapping regular cream for toasted cream in the caramel will provide the buns with even more nutty, rich depth.

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