Happy Sunday to everyone! This week we are going to up the ante a little and bake something that is not strictly bread. Still the Dog thinks when you read this (and better yet make it) you will forgive him for failing to write about bread, just this once.
So, what is it we are going to make this week? Pecan Sticky Buns! Now before we get started let the Dog just say these are not for every weekend, no matter how tempted you may be. When this old hound asked a nutritionist friend of mine how many calories these buns had, and she just answered "All of them". So, make these when you have house guests or at holidays. That way you get all of the wow factor without becoming 350 lbs.
This recipe is in four parts, you make the dough, you make the caramel glaze, you make Cinnamon sugar filling and you make a Pecan topping. It sounds complex, but it is not really that hard. Just follow the recipe and you will be fine.
Equipment – 1 metal nonstick 9-13 baking pan, 1 pizza stone (this is to give the rolls extra lift. If you don’t have one you can still make the buns, they will just not be as tall)
Dough:
Ingredients:
3 large eggs, at room temperature (don’t use cold eggs!)
¾ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
4 ¼ cups unbleached all purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
Method:
In a stand mixer or by hand, mix the eggs to combine. Mix in the buttermilk until combined. Add the yeast, sugar and salt. Mix until combined.
Add 2 cups of the flour and mix for about three minutes. Add all but ¼ of the rest of the flour and mix until the dough is formed. At this point is should be soft and moist but not sticky. If it is, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time.
If you are using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead at low speed for five minutes. Add sprinkles of flour if moisture breaks through.
If you are doing this by hand, turn the dough out on to a well floured work surface and knead for about 8 minutes with a strong push, turn, fold technique.
Rising:
Lightly spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the dough to the bowl and lightly spray the surface of the dough with the cooking spray. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 2 ½ hours or until it has doubled in volume.
Glaze:
While the dough is rising, go ahead and make the glaze.
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
¾ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons heavy cream
A pinch of salt
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the butter is melted and the mixture is thoroughly combined.
Pour into your 9 x 13 inch dish. Use a spatula to spread evenly in the dish. Set baking dish aside.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
Ingredients:
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons (or more if you like) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Shaping:
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Use your fingers to mix it together, and break up any clumps in the brown sugar. Set aside.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with one of the long sides towards you. Lightly flour the dough and roll into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving an ½ boarder along the top edge. With the butter remaining on the brush, brush the sides of the baking dish.
Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a ¾ inch boarder along the top edge. Smooth the filling into an even layer with your hands, then gently press it into the dough (don’t skip this step!).
Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam and then roll the cylinder so the seam is face down. Gently pull the dough until you have an 18 inch cylinder that is an even thickness. Push the ends in, to get them to the same thickness as the rest of the roll.
Using a serrated knife and a very gentle sawing motion, cut the cylinder in half. Then cut each half in half, creating four equal cylinders. Cut each of these into equal thirds, yielding a total of 12 buns.
Arrange the buns in the pan, cut side down; cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until they are puffy, about 1 ½ hours.
Baking:
Position the lower rack of your oven on the lowest setting. If you are using the pizza stone, place it in on the rack.
Preheat your oven 400 degrees for twenty minutes (don’t rush this!) , then just before baking reduce the heat to 350.
If you are not using the stone, just preheat to 350 for twenty minutes.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the buns are golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then invert the pan over a baking sheet, cutting board or large severing platter. With a rubber spatula scrape any of the glaze from the pan onto the buns (there should not be a lot, but you want to get every bit of the glaze-y goodness). Allow the buns to cool while you make the topping.
Topping:
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (do yourself and everyone else a favor and pay for the real extract not vanilla flavor)
¾ cup of pecans, toasted in a skillet over medium heat, for about 5 minutes. Cooled then coarsely chopped.
Method:
Combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking from time to time to combine. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and pecans. Stir until the pecans are evenly coated with the syrup. Spoon heaping spoonfuls of the mixture over the center of each bun.
Allow the buns to cool for 15 more minutes then pull apart and serve.
Now, this recipe takes about 5 hours to make. This makes it hard to make for the morning of a special day. But don’t worry! You can make the buns the night before. When you invert them, do it on a baking sheet. Allow them to cool completely and then wrap in foil (it actually sticks to the buns less than plastic wrap.). Refrigerate over night.
To serve in the morning preheat your oven for twenty minutes to 325 degrees. Then uncover the buns and heat for 8 minutes. They will be perfectly warm, sticky and ready to be snarfed up by everyone.
Again, don’t be shy about trying this recipe. There is a lot of steps but none of them are hard. Enjoy!
Please feel free to share your recipes for bread or sticky buns in comments.
The flour is yours.
