BBA #7: Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns

For round 7 of the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge I decided I didn't want to choose between making the cinnamon rolls vs the sticky buns because I really love them both. It was easy enough to just cut my log of dough into 12 pieces (just under 1 1/2-inches each roughly) and to bake six as cinnamon rolls and use the other six for sticky buns.

I then made a half batch of the caramel glaze mixture and placed it in the bottom of a 9-inch round pan, placed the rolls, covered, held them in the refrigerator overnight. All I had to do was get up a bit early the next morning and sit them out on the counter for a couple of hours to rise.

While this dough was delicious, and a joy to work with, I really preferred them as the sticky buns because I really didn't particularly care for the lemon zest in the dough. I liked it - but just ok. I wouldn't probably put it in again - though I WILL switch it to orange next time and turn these into orange rolls instead with an orange cream cheese glaze.

The dough was tender, easy to make, easy to work with and the sticky bun glaze was easy to make and really delicious!

TWD: Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

Oh, how I love sticky buns and cinnamon buns and pretty much all the breakfast treats - this is well known and well loved territory for me. So, I have been eyeing this recipe ever since my copy of Baking From My Home to Yours got here. I have tried many recipes, but have never been completely satisfied with them. So, after trying so many recipes, how did Dorie's recipe for Pecan Honey Sticky Buns, chosen by Madam Chow for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe?

This recipe absolutely holds its own and then some. I have a very specific criteria for what I am looking for in the "perfect" sticky bun and this recipe met them all.

First, I look for a soft, rich - but not over the top - dough - shouldn't be too "bready" but shouldn't disintigrate either. Second, in my opinion the caramel/glaze should be sufficient to have a nice amount for each bun and plenty of nuts, plus it has to be fairly simple to put together and hold up well (not turn to inedible hard brittle after 30 minutes out of the oven).

I went ahead and made a loaf of brioche with the second half of the dough (and sorry, didn't get pictures - bad Holly!). It was delicious as bread as well, but a bit richer than I am used to eating for my bread. As a sticky bun or cinnamon roll recipe though this was awesome. The brioche was really quite easy to put together (and yes, I have a stand mixer to help me - but I will do this by hand next time just to compare).

So, this was absolutely another winner as far as I'm concerned. Make sure to check out all the other TWD gals (and guy(s) - woo hoo!) to see more sticky madness!

Pecan Honey Sticky Buns
Makes 15 buns

For the Glaze:
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces)

For the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons (packed) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the Buns:
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves (see below), chilled and ready to shape (make the full recipe and cut the dough in half after refrigerating it overnight)

Generously butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect for this).

To make the glaze:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze into the buttered pan, evening it out as best you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle over the pecans.To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.

To shape the buns:
On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bare on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can. (At this point, you can wrap the dough airtight and freeze it for up to 2 months . . . . Or, if you want to make just part of the recipe now, you can use as much of the dough as you'd like and freeze the remainder. Reduce the glaze recipe accordingly).

With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. (Because you trim the ragged ends of the dough, and you may have lost a little length in the rolling, you will get 15 buns, not 16 - I cut mine a bit too thick and ended up with 12 buns, which worked just fine as well.) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.

Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and, in all likelihood, touching one another.Getting ready to bake: When the buns have almost fully risen , center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mate or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.

What You'll Need for the Golden Brioche Dough (this recipe makes enough for two brioche loaves. If you divide the dough in half, you would use half for the sticky buns, and you can freeze the other half for a later date, or make a brioche loaf out of it!):

2 packets active dry yeast (each packet of yeast contains approx. 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm

What You'll Need for the Glaze (you would brush this on brioche loaves, but not on the sticky buns):
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

To Make The Brioche:
Put the yeast, water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit into the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can-- this will help keep you, the counter and your kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (yes, you can peek to see how you're doing), then remove the towel, increase the mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mess.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2-tablespoon-size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl (or wash out the mixer bowl and use it), cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap to the bowl. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight. (After this, you can proceed with the recipe to make the brioche loaves, or make the sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)

The next day, butter and flour two 8 1/2-x-4 1/2-inch pans. Pull the dough from the fridge and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cut each piece of the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3 1/2 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until the dough almost fills the pans, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, rising time with depend on how warm the room is.)

Getting Ready To Bake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To Make the Glaze: Beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze.

Bake the loaves until they are well risen and deeply golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto the racks. Invert again and cool for at least 1 hour.

Other Tuesdays with Dorie:
Madeleines
Florida Pie
Peanut Butter Torte (& Bars) (Winner - Our Secret Ingredient)
Fluted Polenta & Ricotta Cake
Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Marshmallows - Dark & White Chocolate (Winner - Our Secret Ingredient)
Chocolate Gooey Cakes

This Post Is Bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

So, I spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs and dreaming of their food. I'm glad to say, that since it is always awe inspiring that I think this is a good pass-time for me. Especially, when I need to decompress.

I have found so many amazing blogs, but it just so happened that yesterday I had the opportunity to make recipes from two of my favorites - I'm sure you've found both of these by now, and I was so glad when I came across The Domestic Goddess about a year ago. It has only been in the past few months that I've really started reading more blogs and found Joy the Baker. I love, love, love both of these blogs.

I really had to laugh when I started to read this post on Serious Eats from Dorie about "languishing bananas". I had five of 'em in the kitchen doing just that. Languishing. Waiting til I had time to do something about it. My DH wanted to throw them away because they were getting so black. NO!!!

Yesterday was finally the day. I really didn't want to make a bajillion banana muffins or loaves of bread though (suffice it to say that my last pregnancy has turned me away from being able to stomach actual banana bread for a while).

So, while I was looking for other ideas it was when I was going through Jennifer's archives that I was reminded of bookmarking her recipe for Banana Sticky Buns a while back. I had recently seen Joy's Banana Cupcakes, and well, since I had enough bananas at their leisure in the kitchen for both recipes, I went for it.

Actually, I made a half-size recipe of Joy's cupcakes because it is just us and the half recipe still made 12 cupcakes a 6-inch cake.

So, here is Joy's recipe and lovely pictures (much better than mine!). This was THE BEST Banana Cake recipe I have ever had. Plus, she gives you her recipe for THE BEST Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting too. The cupcakes and frosting were both light, lovely and delicious. We left the chocolate out (I know - me, leave chocolate out of anything?! Not my choice.) because my husband prefers it without and I was trying to pass my latest sugar-holic creation off as "muffins." (Which, incidently, I did eat two of the cupcakes warm from the oven last night, and they were perfectly delicious without any embellishment at all).

Here is where you will find Jennifer's original Banana Sticky Bun recipe. My version is detailed below. Any changes made were pretty much only made because of availability of ingredients at our house right now (no cranberries). I tweaked the recipe only a bit to make the sticky part a bit gooier since I was using sliced almonds on top. These had a light banana flavor and were delicious and different. A great way to use up those ripe bananas.

And while you're here, don't forget to check out the "Little Wonders" Event I'm hosting. I hope you can join in the fun and help a good cause!



Banana Sticky Buns
(Adapted from Jennifer, The Domestic Goddess)

Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F) + 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter – room temperature
2 large eggs
¼ cup buttermilk powder
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour

Filling:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Sticky Bottom:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter + 1 teaspoon for pan
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sliced, toasted almonds

(Note: Jennifer uses a vanilla sugar glaze (follow the link above) on the sticky buns as well, but since I had extra Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting from making Joy's cupcakes, I just used some of that - SOOOO good!)


Directions:

1. In a large bowl mash the bananas with the butter to form a very soft, ever-so-slightly liquid paste. Combine the yeast with the warm water and sugar. Let sit til foamy, 5 minutes. Add the eggs, buttermilk powder, brown sugar, salt and flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a rough mass forms.

2. Scrape it all together with a bench scraper and transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until it is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary, about 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

3. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot (on top of the fridge works really well) until it doubles in size – about 1 ½ hours. (I got started on this in the evening, so I ended up putting the dough in the refrigerator overnight at this point).

4. Make the filling: in a small bowl, combine the sugars and cinnamon. Set aside.

5. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a 14- by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the surface of the dough with the melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar combination and press it into the dough lightly. Beginning at the long side, roll jellyroll style. Pinch to seal seam and set aside, covered in a warm spot while you make the sticky bottom.

6. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar and honey, cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cream and keep stirring until smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture into the pan. Sprinkle with the almonds. Cut the buns into 12 pieces, about 1 ½ inches wide and arrange, cut side up in the pan with the sugar-butter-almond mixture. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 to 45 minutes (or over night in the fridge) or until doubled in volume.

7. Bake in a preheated, 350 F oven for 25 – 35 minutes, or until caramel is bubbling and tops are slightly browned. Meanwhile, make glaze or frosting (go check out Jennifer's and Joy's blogs for your choice - the sticky buns are really good without any glaze too). When the rolls come out of the oven, allow them to cool slightly and then drizzle with the glaze while they are still warm. Pull apart and serve warm.

Nigella Meets National Sticky Bun Day and the Master Baker

Did I need a good excuse to make another sticky bun recipe? Not really, but it doesn't hurt. Did I find one? No, I found three! I was going to make them anyway for National Sticky Bun Day on Feb. 21st, but since I found the Master Baker - Cinnamon Event, I thought that was another good reason to justify this again. Oh, and though I can't find a good resource online showing that today is such a lovely holiday, I am confident that my information is correct. Why? Because on his cinnamon bun episode Alton Brown said so and if he says so, that's more than good enough for me.

Now enters Nigella. The esteemable Ms. Lawson. One of the recipes sitting in my files for a while now is for Schnecken. Yes, seriously fun word. So, here we are again, feeding my craving - and hopefully yours too! I'll be submitting this one to Foodie Chickie for the Weekend Cook Book Challenge #25. It is thanks to her choice of Nigella Lawson for the theme this time that I get to make this recipe in particular.

Nigella says about these buns in her book How To Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking and The Art of Comfort Cooking that “Schnecken means "snails," which is what these German-American coiled buns resemble. They are like the Norwegian cinnamon buns*, only more so. By which I mean they are stickier, puffier, gooier and generally more over the top." Nigella also says that she actually came across this recipe in one of her favorite books, The Village Baker's Wife by Gayle and Joe Ortiz, which she recommends as well as it's companion The Village Baker. *(note from PheMOM: this is another recipe in Nigella's fabulous book).

I obviously couldn't have said it better, and besides, unless you are lucky enough to live in the U.K. and hear accents as lovely as Nigella's all the time (or have one) then it is just more fun to imagine this in her voice. So, word for word, here is her recipe (with a few little notes from me, the doubter, while I was making this - since I was sure I was doing something wrong):

Schnecken
For the Dough:
3 1/3 cups bread flour
3 Tbsp cup sugar (which I assume means regular white sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1 package (1/4 oz) rapid-rise yeast or 1 Tbsp fresh yeast
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
2 large eggs

For the Syrup:
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
4 Tbsp maple syrup (I didn't have any real maple syrup, so I opted to use honey here)
3 Tbsp light corn syrup

1 Tbsp dark corn syrup (I added this because I thought the taste and texture would help)
About 1 cup walnut or pecan pieces

For the Glaze:
1 large egg
2 Tbsp milk

For the Filling:
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup demerara or turbinado sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

You will also need:
12-cup muffin pan, buttered parchment-paper lined roasting pan or baking pan for turning the sticky buns out onto later - large enough to cover muffin pan

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.



Melt the butter in the milk - use a microwave and a measuring cup for ease - beat in the eggs.





Stir into the dry ingredients to make a dough.



Knead for 10 minutes or for 5 with a dough hook. When it's springy and satiny, form it into a ball, put into an oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap.



Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Notice, the dough did not get smooth. I took the cue from Nigella's directions, and the use of bread flour, that perhaps this is supposed to be a firmer dough. So, after I finished kneading into a ball by hand for a couple of minutes, I didn't push my luck further. Thus, here is my dough. Yes, it was springy and somewhat satiny, but definately different than any other sweet roll type dough I have made, unless it was a brioche recipe. Oh, and it really took the full hour to get just doubled - even using the "rapid-rise yeast."

Using an electric mixer, start on the syrup: beat the butter until soft and smooth and add the sugar, still beating. Beat in the syrups and then divide this mixture among the muffin cups. (I also lightly sprayed the cups so they wouldn't stick as much later).

This mixture, even with the additional tablespoon of dark corn syrup I added, did not make a syrup consistency, but more of just a soft butter. Again, I just plugged along having faith. I spread the mixture into the muffin tin and patted it down with the back of a spoon with a little cooking spray to keep from sticking.

Top with the nuts, about a tablespoonful in each sticky-based waiting cup. I just placed pieces into the butter, enough to cover the area.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. When the dough's ready, knock it back, knead once or twice and then roll out to a large rectangle, approximately 24 by 12 inches, with the long side nearest you. (I couldn't roll mine any bigger than 16 x 12 inches). Beat the egg and add the milk. Glaze the dough, using a pastry brush to paint, or just your fingers.



Mix the filling ingredients in a little bowl.



Sprinkle onto the dough.



Now, roll up from the long side and away from you, carefully and firmly (though not too tightly), keeping a firm sausage shape.



Cut into 12 even slices, and lie each slice spiral-swirly cut side up, on top of the nuts and syrup in the muffin cups.





Leave to rise for about 20 minutes and when they're risen and puffy, put into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, by which time they should be golden and cooked; crisp in parts, voluptuously gooey in others. (Mine took the full 25 minutes.)



Place the roasting pan or baking sheet on top and turn the whole thing the other way up. (You will need oven mitts and a degree of caution for this.) Remove the muffin tray and dislodge any nuts that are still stuck in it, adding them, along with any residual syrup, to the upturned buns. Leave to cool, then apply to face - as if you needed my encouragement.



Makes 12

Final note: These tasted great and, other than second guessing myself, weren't too difficult to make. The next time I make them though, I will use all-purpose flour, and maybe a little less to start with. Also, these actually didn't turn out very gooey at all, as you can see. I will probably increase the amount of dark corn syrup, or add some cream to the syrup for a bit more of a caramel effect.