Carrot cake buns

Carrot cake, but make it breakfast. Carrots not only flavor the fluffy orange dough, but also add sweetness and moisture – it's a gorgeous addition to your fall baking repertoire. The spiced cream cheese swirl is only lightly sweetened, so you won’t have any problem eating more than one. To serve these buns for breakfast without having to get up at 2am to bake, start them the day before.

Let the buns rise until they’ve almost completed the second rise (about 20 minutes), then cover them lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. About 1 hour before you’d like breakfast, take the buns out of the refrigerator and let them stand at room temperature until they have warmed up and fully risen, then bake and serve.

Ingredients

• DOUGH
• ⅓ cup (80 grams) whole milk, warmed to 110°F
• ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
• 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup (95 grams) finely shredded peeled carrot
• ½ cup (75 grams) golden raisins
• 2 large eggs (100 grams)
• 2½ cups (340 grams) bread flour, plus more for rolling
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick; 85 grams) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the baking dish
• FILLING
• 4 ounces (113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature (if you add super-soft butter to this dough, it will look too loose, and you may be tempted to add more flour, which would only lead to tough buns)
• ½ cup (57 grams) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large (20 grams) egg yolk
• TO FINISH
• 1 large (50 grams) egg, lightly beaten
• Sanding sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Method

• PREPARE THE DOUGH
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the milk, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the yeast and mix together. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining sugar, the carrot, raisins, eggs, flour, and salt to the bowl and knead on low speed until the dough starts to come together, about 3 minutes.
• Add the butter a little bit at a time and then continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, another 3 to 4 minutes. (You can also make this dough by hand. When it comes time to add the butter, use a bench scraper to help lift the sticky dough up over itself as you knead with the other hand.)
• Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, shape the dough into a tight ball in the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until it has doubled in size.
• MEANWHILE, PREPARE THE FILLING
• In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and egg yolk. Cover and set aside. (Chill the mixture if your house is warm. The filling should be spreadable but not super-soft.)
• Butter an oven-safe skillet or a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan and sprinkle with granulated sugar. When the dough has doubled, tip it out onto a very lightly floured surface and roll it into a 10-inch square. Spread the filling evenly over the surface. Tightly roll up the dough and pinch the seam closed.
• With a serrated knife, cut the roll crosswise into 12 pieces (to cut neat buns without spillage and smooshage, you can also use unflavored dental floss: Slide a piece of floss under one end of the log, then cross the ends of the floss up and over the log and pull on its ends to cut the first piece; repeat with the remaining dough).
• Set the rounds in the prepared pan, spirals facing upward. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the buns rest until they have almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly brush the tops of the buns with the beaten egg. Sprinkle with the sanding sugar, if using. Bake until the buns are deep golden brown and set, 28 to 32 minutes. Let cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before serving. These are best the day they’re made, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Wrap them in foil and warm them in a toaster oven before serving.

Samantha Seneviratne spoke to Homes & Gardens about why she loves baking at this time of year, and how shopping at the fall farmstands led to the creation of this and other favorite recipes from her book, Bake Smart.