Holiday (or Birthday!) Morning Buns — The Morning I Cooked for Dad

Father's Day. I made Dad the full spread. Went to the Cape Cod on Sunday morning — early, before he was up — and cooked breakfast. Babcia's potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce. Kielbasa from Usinger's, sliced and pan-fried until the edges crisped. Scrambled eggs with chives from Mom's little herb garden by the back door. Fresh coffee, strong, the way Dad likes it — strong enough to dissolve a spoon. Dad came downstairs in his robe, saw the table, and stood in the doorway for a long time. "What's all this?" he said. I said, "Happy Father's Day." He sat down. He ate. He didn't say much — he never says much — but he ate two plates of everything and when he was done he looked at me and said, "You're a good kid, Jake." That's it. That's the whole review. Five words. But from Tom Kowalski, five words is a soliloquy. After breakfast, we went to the garage and he showed me how to change the brake pads on the Jeep. My Jeep — the 2014 Wrangler I bought used two years ago, which has become an extension of my identity in a way that is probably unhealthy. The brakes had been squealing for a month and I'd been ignoring it because that's what twenty-one-year-olds do with car problems. Dad had the pads off in twenty minutes, explaining everything as he went — calipers, rotors, wear indicators. I handed him tools and nodded and tried to remember everything. This is how Dad teaches. Not in a classroom, not from a book. In a garage, on his knees, grease on his hands. At the brewery, I submitted my Baltic porter recipe to Marcus. I'm calling it Forest Floor — smoked malt, dried cherries, a touch of vanilla. Dark, complex, the kind of beer you drink by a fire in October. Marcus read it, circled two things, wrote "too much cherry" on one line, and said, "Revise and resubmit." He's like a thesis advisor for beer. I revised it that night. Less cherry, more smoke. Resubmitted Friday. Marcus nodded. At the Polish Center on Thursday, Mrs. Wojcik taught me how to make pączki — Polish doughnuts, filled with rose hip jam, fried golden, dusted with powdered sugar. They're traditionally a pre-Lent thing (Fat Thursday, the Polish equivalent of Mardi Gras) but Mrs. Wojcik doesn't believe in seasonal restrictions on fried dough, which is a philosophy I can get behind. They were incredible — pillowy, rich, the rose hip jam tart and floral inside the sweet dough. I brought a dozen to the brewery the next day and they were gone in eleven minutes. Marcus ate three.

After Mrs. Wojci&k walked me through pâczki — the frying, the rose hip jam, the powdered sugar dusting — I couldn’t stop thinking about that particular magic: sweet dough, a little richness, something to share with people you love. These Holiday Morning Buns aren’t pâczki, but they hit the same note — pillowy, warm, rolled in cinnamon sugar, the kind of thing that makes a table feel like a celebration. If you’re going to make a spread for someone who matters, this is where I’d start.

Holiday (or Birthday!) Morning Buns

Prep Time: 30 min (plus 1 hr 30 min rise) | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: ~2 hr 25 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• For the dough:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 standard packet)
• 3/4 cup whole milk, warmed to 110°F
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp salt
• For the filling:
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• For the coating:
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Activate the yeast. Combine warm milk, 1 tsp of the granulated sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir gently and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.
2. Make the dough. Add remaining sugar, softened butter, eggs, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing until a soft dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8 minutes until smooth and slightly tacky.
3. First rise. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4. Make the filling. While dough rises, mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest in a small bowl until combined into a spreadable paste.
5. Shape the buns. Punch down dough and roll out on a floured surface into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Spread filling evenly over the surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border along one long edge. Roll tightly from the opposite long edge into a log. Pinch the seam to seal.
6. Slice and second rise. Cut the log into 12 equal rounds. Arrange cut-side up in a greased 12-cup muffin tin. Cover and let rise 30 minutes until puffed.
7. Bake. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake buns 22–25 minutes until deep golden brown on top.
8. Coat and serve. Mix coating sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. While buns are still warm, brush each with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 285 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 175mg