I am certain there are precise recipes for cinnamon buns.  However, if you bear in mind that the basic ingredients are bread dough, butter, sugar, cinnamon and pecans (which are the only optional ingredient) you cannot go wrong.  If you want them less sweet, use less sugar (less than what, I hear you asking…), less cinnamony, use less cinnamon.  Don’t skimp on the butter though, heaven forbid your buns are dry.  Although if they are, just spread them with butter when you are eating them. 

You will have to experiment to find the combination of your choice, although I offer some guidance here:

Make the basic bread recipe with the flour of your choice, remembering white flour will make a fluffier bun and, after the first rising, split the dough in two halves.

Punch down one half, shape into a little loaf and put in a one pound loaf tin to do the second rising.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.

With the other half you make the cinnamon buns.

First melt plenty of melted butter (like a good 2-3 oz or more…) and stir in a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, stirring until it has melted completely.  Add a couple of handsful of chopped pecans and stir them around and then tip the whole lot into a baking tray that is at least 2 inches deep and measures about 9 x 12 inches.

Then, punch the dough down and squash it as flat as you can make it (this is a bit tough, as it is springy) on a well floured surface.

Brush with PLENTY of melted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and crushed pecans and the roll up as tightly as you can, kind of stretching the dough as you roll it.

Brush the rolled up dough with more melted butter.

Cut it into 1 inch slices and lay them side by side (they should touch but not be too crowded) in the buttery pan.  If you have too many, you will need to prepare another buttery pan.

Cover them with a tea towel and let them rise for 15 minutes.  Don’t forget about your little bread loaf.  It’s probably doubled in size by now so you can pop it into the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes.  When it goes off you can pop the buns in the oven.  Bake the whole lot for another 30 minutes by which time both the buns and the bread will be done.  Take the bread out and cool it on a wire rack.  Take the buns out and decant them by placing a platter or a plate (with sides because there is melted butter in the pan) on top of the baking tray and invert the buns into the platter (be careful not to drip the hot butter on anything other than the buns), scraping all the melty lovliness out on top of them.

Don’t burn yourself by trying to eat them before they have somewhat cooled.  You have been warned.