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These morning buns get their bright citrus flavor from fresh orange zest in both the dough and the cinnamon + brown sugar filling. An easy laminated dough creates buttery layers that bake up soft and flaky.

Three morning buns on a metal plate next to more buns on a cooling rack.

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My Favorite Brunch Pastry When I Want Something Extra Special

The best morning buns I've ever had were from Fortitude Bakehouse in London, and they're what inspired me to create this homemade version. The buns are baked in a muffin tin with textures sitting somewhere between buttery croissants + fluffy cinnamon rolls (although they're not quite as flaky as my German Franzbrotchen).

To brighten them up, I add fresh orange zest to the yeast dough. And I use a combo of orange + lemon zest in the cinnamon sugar filling, which also serves as a crunchy coating once they come out of the oven. The result is a fresh citrus flavor that comes through in every bite, but isn't overpowering.

And if laminating dough seems daunting, I promise the extra time spent on it pays off in light, airy layers. As a shortcut, you could swap in puff pastry like I do with homemade cruffins. I've also included an overnight option so most of the work can be done ahead of time, making these really easy to bake fresh in the morning.

Bowls of oranges and a lemon, flour, sugar, milk, salt, and cinnamon next to eggs, butter sticks, and a packet of yeast.

Ingredients We'll Need: milk, active dry yeast, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, all purpose flour, salt, oranges, lemon, unsalted butter, and cinnamon.

Let's Bake Morning Buns!

For the full step-by-step directions and ingredient quantities, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Frothy yeast and milk in a glass bowl. — Mix warm milk, yeast, & sugar.

Milk, yeast, sugar, and eggs whisked in a metal bowl. — Whisk with eggs.

A sticky bread dough mixed in a metal bowl. — Mix in flour, salt, & orange zest

Kneaded bread dough in a bowl with a dough hook. — Knead the dough.

Two sticks of butter on parchment paper. — Start with two sticks of cold butter.

A hand rolling out bread dough with a rolling pin. — Roll out the dough.

A folded square of enriched orange bread dough. — Fold the corners of the dough over the butter block.

Soft bread dough folded into thirds like a letter. — Fold the short edges into the center in thirds like a letter.

A hand stirring cinnamon sugar in a bowl with a spoon. — Mix the orange & lemon zest, sugars & cinnamon.

A hand spreading cinnamon sugar onto rolled-out bread dough with the back of spoon. — Spread ¾ of the filling on top.

A hand forming a spiral of dough on a marble surface. — Roll each strip of dough into a spiral.

Puffed-up spirals of cinnamon sugar-coated dough in a muffin tin. — Proof the buns then bake them until they're puffed & golden.

A tacky bread dough in a bowl with a wooden spoon. — Mix in softened butter.

Risen enriched dough in a large mixing bowl. — Let the dough rise.

A butter block on parchment paper. — Beat the butter into a ¼-inch square.

Rolled-out cinnamon roll dough with a butter block on top. — Add the butter block on top.

A hand rolling out bread dough into a long rectangle with a rolling pin. — Roll out the butter-filled dough into a rectangle.

A small rectangle of bread dough wrapped in plastic wrap. — Wrap, refrigerate, and repeat two more letter folds.

A hand brushing melted butter onto rolled-out bread dough. — Roll out the dough and brush with melted butter.

A hand using a pizza cutter to cut cinnamon-sugar-coated dough into 1-inch strips. — Slice evenly into 12 strips.

A muffin tin filled with unbaked morning buns. — Arrange them in a greased muffin tin.

A spoon sprinkling orange-infused sugar onto a baked morning bun in a bowl. — Roll in remaining citrus sugar to coat the warm buns.

Overnight Bake

I like spreading out this recipe over two days by making the laminated dough in the evening and after the last letter fold, I refrigerate it overnight. Then in the morning I fill, shape, and bake the buns so they're hot & fresh for breakfast!

My Secrets to Flaky Morning Buns Without the Stress

Even Tartine's morning bun recipe says it's normal for butter to leak out a bit during baking, which is where I learned the trick of placing an extra sheet pan below the muffin tin.
It's crucial for your butter to stay cool and hard until it hits the oven. If it softens or melts, your buns won't be flaky, so pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes to cool, if needed.
My first test batch unraveled a bit, so to avoid that, tightly tuck the ends underneath the spirals. And I pressed the sides to fit into the muffin tin before proofing them.

Flaky layers of a half-eaten morning bun on display on a metal plate.

Buttery Citrus Morning Buns

Carissa Erzen

These morning buns get their bright citrus flavor from fresh orange zest in both the dough and the cinnamon brown sugar filling. An easy laminated dough creates buttery layers that bake up soft and flaky.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Rise & Chill Time 4

Total Time 5 30

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, French

Servings buns

Calories 452 kcal

Equipment

muffin tin

Ingredients

Dough

1¼ cups milk
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4½ cups all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons salt (use non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt)
1 Tablespoon orange zest (from one large orange)
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (half a stick)

Butter Block

1 cup unsalted butter, cold from the fridge (2 sticks)

Filling and Coating

½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon orange zest (from one medium orange)
1 Tablespoon lemon zest (from one medium lemon)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt (use non-iodized table salt or fine sea salt)
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

Make the Dough

Warm milk in the microwave for a minute, until it's between 105°F and 115°F (40°C - 46°C). To the milk, mix in the active dry yeast and granulated sugar. Set aside for 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy on top.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk & yeast mixture with the eggs for one minute. Add the flour, salt, and orange zest and mix with a large spoon for a minute until it forms a sticky dough. Mix in the softened butter for a minute, until it's incorporated.
Knead the dough in a stand mixer for 6 minutes, or by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic and springs back to its original shape when you indent it with your finger. (I prefer kneading this dough in my stand mixer, since it's sticky at first, so I don't have to add as much flour as when I knead it by hand. If you knead by hand, add a little flour as needed while kneading the dough to prevent it from sticking to your counter or hands.)
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a clean mixing bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or dinner plate. Let it rest and rise in a warm place (like an empty oven with the light turned on) for 2 hours, or until it doubles in size.

Make the Butter Block

While the dough rises, prepare your butter block. On a large piece of parchment paper, place the two sticks of butter side-by-side. Cover the butter with another large piece of parchment paper.
Use something firm and heavy like a rolling pin to beat the butter into a square block, about 9-inches by 9-inches (23 cm × 23 cm), or about ¼ inch thick. (It'll probably be more circular at first. Cut off the rounded edges, place them in the middle, and continue beating/rolling the butter.)
Wrap the butter block in the parchment paper and refrigerate.

Laminate the Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it's a 14-inch by 14-inch square (36 cm × 36 cm)
Envelope fold: Place the cold butter block on top of the dough, so the butter block is sitting on a diagonal to the dough's edges. Fold the four corners of the dough over the butter to meet in the center of the butter block. Press the edges of the dough down to seal the seams.
Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the butter-filled dough into a rectangle about 9-inches wide by 15-inches long (23 cm × 38 cm).
Letter fold: Fold the two shorter edges in thirds overlapping in the center, like a letter. Wrap the dough in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Letter fold: Dust your work surface again lightly with flour. Roll the dough into another rectangle about 9-inches wide by 15-inches long (23 cm × 38 cm). Fold the two shorter edges in thirds towards the middle, like a letter. Wrap the dough in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Letter fold: Dust your work surface again lightly with flour. Roll the dough into another rectangle about 8-inches wide by 12-inches long (20 cm × 30 cm). Fold the two shorter edges in thirds in the middle, like a letter. Wrap the dough in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Shape the Buns

Grease a muffin tin. Melt the two tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool slightly.
Prepare the filling/coating by rubbing the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the orange zest and lemon zest with your fingers for a minute, until it's fragrant. Stir in the cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle that's 12-inches by 16-inches (30 cm × 41 cm). Try to get corners and edges straight so all buns are equal-sized.
Brush the two tablespoons of melted butter over the dough. Spread three-quarters of the filling (about ¾ cup) in an even layer on the dough all the way to the edges, and use the back of a spoon to gently press it into the dough. Save the rest of the sugar mixture in a shallow bowl for later.
Starting from a shorter (12-inch-long) edge, slice the dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) strips (you should get 12 strips).
Roll each strip of dough in a spiral and tuck the remaining edge underneath. Arrange in the muffin tin, pressing the sides inward slightly if you need to get the spirals to fit in the muffin cups.
Cover the muffin tin with a kitchen towel, and allow it to proof for 30 minutes at room temperature (not in a warm spot, otherwise the butter in the dough will soften.)

Bake the Buns

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Place a parchment paper-lined baking tray on the oven rack below the muffin tin to catch any spills of melting butter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until they're puffed up and golden.
Cool in the muffin tin on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the buns from the muffin tin and roll in the remaining sugar coating while they're still warm. Enjoy!!

Notes

Butter: Splurge on a high-fat European butter like Kerrygold for the butter block. Not only will it add a richer flavor, but it'll make cleaner layers in the dough.
Kneading: Keep a small bowl of all purpose flour close when rolling out the dough. It helps to sprinkle just a bit to prevent it from sticking to your counter or rolling pin, so you don't have to reach back into your flour supply with dirty hands.
If the butter in your dough is starting to soften or melt at any time, place it back in the fridge for 20 minutes, for the butter to cool and harden.
If the dough shrinks back as you try to roll it out, let it rest for 5 minutes so the gluten can relax.
Reheating: Pop leftover buns in the oven on a baking tray for 5 to 8 minutes at 375F.
Storing: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a couple days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bun (of 12)Calories: 452kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 7gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 380mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 2gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 735IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg

Keyword morning buns

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