Cinnamon Bun Question

[SHA]

I always made yeasted cinnamon buns but was wondering if anyone has done a comparison between yeasted and quick chemical leavening cinnamon buns and could comment on whether they are equally good.

 

[retired baker]

some coffee cakes with cinn and crumb topping work.
They're not as good though.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I always made yeasted cinnamon buns but was wondering if anyone has done a comparison between yeasted and quick chemical leavening cinnamon buns and could comment on whether they are equally good.

I haven’t done a direct comparison, but I’m confident a chemically leavened version would produce a completely different dough. Since chemical leavening requires no bulk fermentation, the dough would not benefit from the gradual gluten relaxation, gas retention, and expansion of yeasted dough. As a result, it would be denser, lack the layered “fluffy” structure of a traditional roll, and instead have more a cake or quick bread bite than a yeasted cinnamon roll. It would also be noticeably blander, since fermentation and proofing develop flavor in yeasted dough.

A chemically leavened cinnamon roll certainly can be done, it would just be different and require some modifications to make it more like a traditional cinnamon rolls.