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Apr 4, 2021

Crumb Buns (Yeasted Coffee Cake Buns)

These crumb buns, topped with a giant amount of delicious streusel, are the most amazing way to dress up a sweet and rich yeasted dough for the perfect coffee cake treat. 

Crumb buns on a plate

 




These buns are a streusel lover's dream. There is so much streausel on these buns that you might not realize that there are actual rolls underneath. 

Of course, the act of picking away at the crunchy crumbs to get at the sweet and rich rolls underneath is one of life's little pleasure. 



Crumb buns in a pan




Don't be afraid of yeasted coffee cakes. While working with yeast may seem intimidating, it's really pretty simple. Two of my favorites include Blueberry Brioche Coffee Cake and Holiday Apple Kuchen

About working with enriched dough:

Yeasted coffee cakes are typically made from enriched doughs, which often include eggs, sugar, and fat. Weather (heat and humidity) can affect the dough's behavior, so you will have to trust your instincts regarding when the dough is ready. 

You refrigerate the dough for 12 to 36 hours right after kneading it. It will not rise much, if at all, in the refrigerator, or even after removing it from the fridge. 

Once you shape the rolls, they might look like they aren't rising. To create a warm spot, I usually heat a couple of coffee cups full of water in the microwave and then move the cups to the corners of the microwave. Next, I place the shaped dough in the microwave to rise in the warm environment. 

If your dough seems to be rising super slowly, to judge whether or not the dough is ready for baking, even if it hasn't risen as much as I want, I lift it slightly with my finger, and if it feels super light, it's ready. It will rise a lot more in the oven. 

Another option for baking with enriched dough is to use osmotolerant yeast. While not necessary, it really helps with the fermentation of sweetened and enriched doughs. If you don't have osmotolerant yeast, I recommend instant yeast, especially Red Star Platinum



Crumb buns on plates





The streusel loaded on top of these buns is the extra special "secret sauce" on this coffee cake. It's simple to make, with just flour, sugar, a bit of baking powder, a bit of salt, and some pecan meal. 

It's also pretty magical. Each little bite will have you reaching for more. 

It's super simple to make. In fact, it has become my new "go-to" streusel recipe for muffins and quick breads as well. 

How to make the dough for these crumb buns:

First, assemble the dough in a stand mixer. You use the paddle attachment to mix the flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt, and then mix in slightly firm butter cubes until you have a "crumby" mixture. 

Next, you mix eggs, water, sour cream, and vanilla and then mix it into the flour mixture until you have a rough dough. 

Finally, you place the dough into an oiled container and refrigerate it overnight and up to 3 days. 

The dough doesn't rise in the refrigerator. Be sure to bring let it sit at room temperature for 90 minutes before shaping. 

Make-ahead tip for making these crumb buns:

If you make these crumb buns in advance, be sure to cover them tightly with foil after letting them cool. 

When you are ready to serve, wrap how many of the buns you plan to serve with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes. 

These are expecially delicious split and slathered with salted butter. 


 

Crumb buns with butter




Let the butter melt into the enriched dough and enjoy!

This, to me, is the perfect coffee cake! 


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Crumb Buns (Yeasted Coffee Cake Buns)





Crumb Buns (Yeasted Coffee Cake Buns)

Crumb Buns (Yeasted Coffee Cake Buns)
Yield: 9 servings
Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories
These crumb buns, topped with a giant amount of delicious streusel, are the most way to dress up a sweet and rich yeasted dough for the perfect coffee cake treat.

Ingredients

For the Dough
  • 7.5 ounces (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablepoons water
  • 1/4 cup full fat sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg plus one tablespoon water and a pinch of salt for the egg wash
For the Streusel
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (4.5 ounces) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons pecan meal

Instructions

To Make the Dough
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add the butter pieces and mix until you have a crumbly mixture, 2 to 4 minutes. 
  2. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, water, sour cream, and vanilla. 
  3. Add the liquid ingredients to the mixer and mix on low until you have a rough dough. 
  4. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. 
To Make the Streusel
  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan until just melted. Set aside until until the butter reaches room temperature. 
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and pecan meal. 
  3. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and mix everything with your hands. 
  4. Squeeze the mixture with your hands until you have large clumps. Break the clumps into smaller clumps and let stand for 15 minutes. 
To assemble the Crumb Buns
  1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it sit for 90 minutes. Line  an 8 inch by 8 inch square cake pan with parchment paper and spray with spray oil. Make sure there is anough overhang so that you can use the parchment to lift the rolls out of the pan once they are baked. 
  2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto an oiled work surface. Pat the dough out into a small rectangle and cut it with a bench knife into 9 pieces. 
  4. Form each piece into a ball and place each into the cake pan. 
  5. Let the rolls rise for about 60 to 90 minutes, until the dough is puffy and the rolls begin to touch each other.
  6. Whisk together the egg wash and brush it over all of the rolls. 
  7. Gently press the streusel over the dough. If you have any extra streusel, sprinkle it over the dough. 
  8. Bake the rolls for 35 minutes. 
  9. Cool the rolls in the pan for 5 minutes on a wire rack. Transfer the rolls to the wire rack and let cool. 
  10. Reheat, wrapped in foil, before serving. 

Calories

321.91

Fat (grams)

13.67

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.91

Carbs (grams)

43.45

Fiber (grams)

1.31

Net carbs

42.14

Sugar (grams)

14.38

Protein (grams)

6.44

Sodium (milligrams)

234.45

Cholesterol (grams)

89.41
coffee cake
Bread
American
Did you make this recipe?
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Created using The Recipes Generator



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Would you like to comment?

  1. I have some pecan meal I need to use up. This looks like the perfect recipe for it! I could have used a crumb bun for breakfast this morning!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's probably the same pecan meal I have!

      Delete
  2. I'll bet this is lighter than a non-yeast coffee cake. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These crumb buns are my favorite. I would have the entire batch for myself. I am going to try this right away. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I made these twice and both times they did not rise. I work with yeast a lot and was upset when this recipe didn’t work. Think more yeast was needed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting. I made them as written. I did use SAF Gold yeast (see body of post), which is good with enriched dough.

      Delete

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