Cooking Lesson #545: Holiday Sticky Pecan Buns

…from the Perspectives’ Holiday Kitchen

ow you doin’? The cinnamony aroma of fresh-baked Sticky Buns… there’s nothing quite like it. It’s the perfect mood-setter for Holiday mornings or evenings.
 
 Ooey, gooey, buttery and sweet these Sticky Buns are best eaten fresh from the oven. Sticky buns consist of rolled pieces of yeast leavened dough, filled with sugars, nuts and cinnamon. They can be served as a dessert or breakfast sweet roll (or for any reason whatsoever).
 
They are set on a bed of what will become the “sticky” stuff—you can use ingredients, such as brown sugar, honey (or both), as well as nuts and raisins and perhaps more sugar and lot of butter.
 
After the Sticky Buns are baked, they are inverted so that the pan lining becomes the sticky topping. The way the buns are cut and baked allows them to be pulled apart as individual servings, although it is often a futile effort—so you might have to just eat 1-1/2 buns (oh darn!).
 
But where did they originally come from? Sticky Buns were originally seen during the Middle Ages—the dawn of oceanic travel—at which time cinnamon became most prominent. Sticky Buns have a Germanic origin and were originally known as "Schnecken." The Pennsylvania Dutch introduced Schnecken to the United States in the 18th-century where they settled. Sticky Buns have endured long after many other national, religious and cultural traits have disappeared.  Long live Sticky Buns!
 
Prep time:  30 minutes
Proof time:  1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours (includes first and second proof)
Bake time:  20 to 25 minutes
Yield:  12 Sticky Buns
 
Ingredients
for the dough
1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/8 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1 large egg
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or more as required
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 
for the caramel topping
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1-1/2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup pecan halves
 
Directions

1. Pour the room temperature milk into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Heat just until a skin starts to form on the top.
2. Then remove from the stove and stir in salt and 1/4 cup unsalted butter. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
3. Place 1/8 cup of warm water in a small bowl. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
4. Sprinkle yeast over the surface and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. If the mixture doesn’t foam, your yeast isn’t fresh.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the cooled milk mixture and the yeast for 2 minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed.
6. Add the egg and mix well.
7. Using a large wooden spoon, stir in the flour 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition until the mixture forms a dough.
8. Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour, if necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
9. Place the dough ball in a butter-coated bowl and turn once to coat the top.
10. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
11. When the dough ball has doubled, punch it down and let it rest on the counter while you prepare the caramel topping.
12. In a medium bowl, mix the corn syrup, 1-1/2 tablespoons of water, 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
13. Spread an even layer onto the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch baking dish.
14. Place pecan halves upside down in rows over the sugar mixture. Set aside.
15. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a 9 x 12-inch rectangle and spread with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.
16. Mix together 1/4 cup of sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the unsalted butter.
17. Roll the dough up starting at the long end to form a log. Pinch the seam together on the bottom to seal.
18. Cut the buns into 1 inch rounds. Place the rounds into the prepared baking dish atop the pecans.
19. Preheat the oven to 350⁰ F.
20. Set the buns in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 30 to 45 minutes.
21. Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes in the oven, until golden brown.
22. Being very careful not to burn yourself with hot sugar, invert the baking pan onto a cutting board or a clean cookie sheet while still warm so the caramel topping is on top. Scrape-up and patch any ingredients that stuck to the pan.
23. Serve warm.

ChefSecret:  If your yeast doesn’t start to foam and activate within 5 to 10 minutes—start over with fresh yeast.

Quip of the Day: A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day—30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason must be because we must repeat everything to men." The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross. 

#Baking #PecanStickyBuns #Pecans #Yeast #Schnecken #Christmas #Holidays2022 #HolidayRecipes #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

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