How to Make NYC's Famous Malted Cinnamon Buns | Hani's Bakery

Crafting the Malted Cinnamon Bun

• 💡 Chef Miro Uskokovic of Hani's Bakery in NYC shares the process for their best-selling malted cinnamon bun, known for its fluffy, moist texture and gooey cream cheese glaze.
• 🎯 The bun features a unique cinnamon "shmear" made with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, AP flour, butter, and Lyle cane syrup for chewiness and moisture.

Developing the Brioche Dough

• 🍞 Hani's uses a brioche dough enriched with butter to ensure the buns remain soft and moist even at room temperature.
• 🔑 Key ingredients include King Arthur special patent flour (13% protein), eggs, white granulated sugar, and fresh yeast, with salt and butter added later to optimize gluten development.
• ⏳ The dough undergoes a bulk fermentation for 1-2 hours at room temperature, followed by an overnight chill in a walk-in cooler to build flavor and structure.

Shaping and Baking the Buns

• ⚙️ The chilled dough is sheeted to a specific thickness, then spread with the cinnamon shmear and rolled tightly.
• 🥶 For easier slicing and a better shape, the rolled dough is frozen for several hours before being cut into uniform portions using a ruler and knife.
• ♨️ Buns are baked in individual molds, often using a combi oven with steam to achieve a soft crust and moist interior, though a home oven with added moisture can be a substitute.

Creating the Gooey Malted Glaze

• 🧀 The signature glaze starts with full-fat cream cheese and powdered sugar, then is loosened with milk.
• 🌟 A crucial ingredient is malted milk powder (similar to Ovaltine), which provides a unique buttery, toffee-like flavor and helps hydrate the glaze overnight.
• 🥄 The glaze is generously applied to the cooled buns, aiming for a shiny, sticky, and gooey consistency that remains soft even hours later.

The Perfect Cinnamon Bun Experience

• 😋 The final malted cinnamon bun is described as super soft, fluffy, moist, with a gooey glaze and a strong, spicy cinnamon flavor.
• 📈 The popularity of Hani's Bakery, often with queues down the block, is attributed to the exceptional quality and taste of these cinnamon buns.