Nutella Swirl Buns

These buns look fancy, but they're actually really simple to make.  I made them for Christmas breakfast, and they are actually a yeasted breakfast treat that's possible to make in the morning before brunch without getting up in the wee hours of the morning - about an hour from start to finish, including rising time.  The dough comes together easily, even without a stand mixer - it's soft but not too sticky.  It also rolls out perfectly even without any flour - I recommend rolling it out on a big piece of waxed paper or parchment for easily rolling up the buns.  The recipe calls for Nutella as filling - so delicious, and who doesn't want chocolate for breakfast! - but you could easily do a cinnamon roll filling if that's what you're in the mood for.  Finally, the rolls are sliced and popped into muffin tins for perfect single-serving rolls.  These were really delicious and looked so festive on the table - I will definitely be making this recipe again!

Nutella Swirl Buns (adapted from Phemomenon, original recipe here)
Makes 1 dozen

For the dough:
2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cup all purpose flour, divided
1 T instant yeast
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup milk, warm
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

To finish:
2/3 cup Nutella
Butter or oil, to grease

1. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, and cinnamon.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the salt, butter, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Add more flour 1/4 cup at a time until a smooth, slightly sticky dough forms.  Knead for a few minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise 20 minutes in a warm place.
2. Place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface.  Press into a very large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. You may need to use a rolling pin at the end to finish flattening the dough.
3. Place the Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until soft enough to spread easily but not completely melted.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
4. Spread the Nutella evenly all over the dough.  Working from the long side of the dough, roll up the rectangle.  Cut into 12 equal pieces.  Place each piece of dough, swirl-side-up, in the muffin pan.  Cover and let rise 20 minutes in a warm place.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
6. When the oven is preheated and the dough is risen, bake the dough 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking.  The tops should be golden brown and the bottoms should be well browned but not burnt.  Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then remove to a serving plate and enjoy warm.