made in your Rational Oven
Few products sell themselves the way warm cinnamon buns do: the aroma alone turns the whole space into a bakery and triggers nostalgia, comfort, and impulse orders from guests of all ages.
Here is a scaled, “big bakery style” version of the cinnamon buns Rational posted on Linkedin. I scaled it for 12 large buns, and you can do this in your iCombi Pro / Rational-style combi oven (or other combi oven).
Target specs
For 12 large buns that fill an adult hand, aim for about 100–120 g dough per piece, so a total dough weight around 1.2–1.4 kg before filling. This version takes the original formula for a slightly higher hydration and a more generous filling and frosting.
Cinnamon buns are a powerful menu item because they deliver a huge payoff for relatively simple production. A single base dough and filling can be mixed, proofed, and shaped in batches, then held in the fridge or freezer, allowing you to bake on demand with minimal last‑minute labour.
That consistency and simplicity make them ideal for line staff and for rational-oven workflows, freeing skilled labour for more complex dishes while still turning out something that looks and feels “homemade.” Once a reliable base formula is dialed in, it can run as a quiet production engine in the background of the operation rather than a daily reinvention.
Download the full Cinnamon Bun Recipe with Food Costing Spreadsheet here.
Few products sell themselves the way warm cinnamon buns do: the aroma alone turns the whole space into a bakery and triggers nostalgia, comfort, and impulse orders from guests of all ages. Families recognize them as a shareable treat—perfect for weekend brunch, after-school snacks, and “one more thing” add-ons with coffee—so they naturally increase average cheque size without feeling like a hard upsell.
From a business standpoint, buns sit in a sweet spot where ingredient food costs are modest, but perceived value is very high, making it realistic to target 40–50% profit margins, especially on large, premium rolls. With a couple of smart enhancements—like rotating seasonal glazes (orange-cardamom or maple-pecan), premium toppings (toasted nuts, caramel or coffee glaze), or filled variants (blueberry-lemon, chai-spiced, or even maple-bacon crumble)—the same base roll can become a signature item that photographs well, earns repeat orders, and anchors your brand identity on both the menu and social media.
Dough for 12 large buns
Total yield: about 1.3 kg dough, divided into 12 pieces (≈110 g each before filling).
Use a 1/1 GN pan (or 1 × 1/1 + 1 × 1/2 if you prefer more spread) lined with baking paper or a silicone mat.
Ingredients – Dough
• Whole milk: 550 ml
• Dried yeast: 30 g
• Butter, unsalted, melted and cooled: 140 g
• Plain or bread flour: 1,050 g
• Caster sugar: 150 g
• Fine salt: 15 g
• Eggs: 3 large
Method – Dough
1 Warm milk to about 38 °C; whisk in the yeast, then the melted butter, and let stand 10 minutes until lightly foamy.
2 Sieve flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl or mixer; add the milk–yeast mixture and eggs and mix until no dry flour remains, then rest 10 minutes to hydrate.
3 Knead (or stretch-and-fold) until smooth and slightly elastic; dough will be soft and slightly tacky but should hold shape.
4 Place into a lightly greased 1/1 GN container, cover, and cold-ferment in the fridge until well chilled and slightly risen (at least 2–3 hours or overnight for better flavour).
Filling and shaping
Ingredients – Filling
• Brown sugar: 260 g
• Butter, unsalted, softened: 200 g
• Ground cinnamon: 40 g
Mix to a smooth, spreadable paste.
Shaping
1 Turn chilled dough onto a lightly floured bench and divide into 2 equal pieces (about 650 g each).
2 Roll each piece into a rectangle about 45–50 cm long and 25–28 cm deep.
3 Spread each sheet with half the filling (about 250 g per sheet), going almost to the edges.
4 Roll up from the long side into a tight log; chill briefly (10–15 minutes) if very soft.
5 Cut each log into 6 equal pieces (≈110 g dough + filling per piece) to give 12 buns.
6 Arrange in a lined 1/1 GN (3 × 4 grid) with a little space between buns for proofing; or split between a 1/1 and 1/2 GN if you want looser buns.
Proofing and baking in iCombi Pro
Exact auto-programs will vary by model; this is a manual baseline for sweet yeast dough in a Rational-style combi.
Proofing
• Mode: Proofing / “Fermented dough” style program, or manual
• Temperature: 32–35 °C
• Humidity: 70–80%
• Time: 35–50 minutes, until buns are puffy and nearly touching; they should jiggle when the pan is shaken.
Baking
If using the built-in sweet yeast dough / bakery item program, choose that and target a medium–deep golden color. For manual control:
• Mode: Hot air (convection) with low fan
• Temperature: 165–175 °C
• Humidity: 0–10% (start drier for crust, a little steam if you want softer tops)
• Time: 18–24 minutes, rotating pans halfway if needed, until deep golden and an internal temperature around 93–96 °C.
Cream cheese frosting
For big, bakery-style coverage on 12 large buns, use:
• Cream cheese: 200 g, soft
• Butter, unsalted: 90 g, soft
• Icing sugar: 260–280 g
• Vanilla paste: 5–8 g
• Optional: 15–30 ml milk or cream to loosen if needed
Beat cream cheese and butter smooth, add icing sugar and vanilla, and adjust with a splash of milk/cream to a thick but spreadable consistency. Spread generously over buns while they are warm but not piping hot so it softens and lightly melts into the top.
If you want this formatted in baker’s percentages with alternate sizes (e.g., 90 g vs 120 g dough units), that conversion can be added on top of this base.
