Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns

Assemble these cinnamon buns before bed and wake up to a Bundt pan full of gooey, pull-apart breakfast pastry. Frozen roll dough rises overnight at room temperature under a damp cloth, absorbing the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter while you sleep.

The vanilla pudding mix is the trick that makes this recipe clever. It dissolves into the melting butter and brown sugar overnight, creating a creamy, caramel-like sauce that coats every roll. When you flip the Bundt pan after baking, that sauce cascades down the sides like a glaze.

Raisins stud the whole thing with chewy fruit pockets. They plump up during the long overnight rise and soak up the cinnamon-butter mixture.

Pro Tips

• Use a damp cloth, not plastic wrap. The cloth allows just enough air circulation while keeping the dough from drying out.
• Make sure the Bundt pan is well-greased. The caramelized sugar is extremely sticky and will bond to the pan if it’s not.
• Let it sit 5 minutes after baking before inverting. Too soon and the hot sugar sauce runs everywhere. Too long and it cements to the pan.
• Pull apart while still warm. These are meant to be eaten with your hands, not sliced.

Variations

• Add chopped pecans to the bottom of the greased pan before adding the rolls for a sticky pecan caramel bun.
• Use butterscotch pudding mix instead of vanilla for a deeper, toffee-like flavor.
• Skip the raisins and add dried cranberries for a tart-sweet alternative.