Interfaith Cooking

When I was growing up, my Aunt Skip would bring her homemade sticky buns to Thanksgiving. It was the coveted treat that all the Guilds looked forward to having. Every time I make sticky buns for a Guild gathering, I think about how  wonderful Aunt Skip was. May she rest in peace knowing her tradition lives on!

For the dough 

• 2 Packages (5 tsp) active dry yeast 
• 1 cup whole milk, heated to warm (105 – 115 F)
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar 
• 3 large eggs 
• 5 1⁄2 cups flour, plus extra for the work surface
• 2 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp ground mace 
• Grated zest of one orange 
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 

For the filling and egg glaze 

6 Tbsp sugar2 tsp cinnamon about 1⁄4 cup butter, melted for brushing 1 large egg, beaten 

For the vanilla glaze (I don’t do this, instead I do a smear.) 1⁄2 cup confectioners’ sugar1⁄4 heavy cream1 tsp vanilla extract 

For sticky buns smear 

• 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 1⁄2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped 

Directions 

To make the dough, in a large bowl dissolve the yeast in in the warm milk and let it stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, eggs, 5 cups flour, slat, mace, orange zest, and butter. Stir with hands or wooden spoon until rough mass forms. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough, working in the remaining flour, until smooth and elastic, 5 – 7 minutes. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. 

Form the dough into a ball, transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles in bulk, 1 1⁄2 – 2 hours. 

To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. 

To make the smear, in a bowl, combined butter, brown sugar and cinnamon and mix thoroughly with wooden spoon. Divide mixture in half and spread it evenly all over the bottom of each 9×9 inch pan. Sprinkle with pecans on top. Butter sides of two 9-inch cake pans too. 

To form the buns, punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Cut it in half with a sharp knife. Lightly dust the surface of the dough with flour. Roll out one-half of the dough into a 10 by 16 inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with melted butter, then sprinkle with 1⁄2 the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting at the long side, roll up the rectangle into a log. 

Cut the log crosswise into 8 slices each 2 inches thick. Place the slices, cut side up, side-by-side and barely touching on the

prepared pan. Repeat the process for the other 1⁄2 of the dough. 

Cover rolls loosely with a kitchen towel and let them rise in a warm, draft-free spot until they have doubled in size and are spongy to the touch, 30 – 40 minutes. Alternatively, place the rolls in the refrigerator and let them rise slowly over night. 

Position the rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 for regular 

Brush the rolls lightly with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, 25 – 30 minutes. 

Let the buns cool in the pan on the wire rack for 5 minutes. Then, place a serving tray upside down over each pan and while holding the tray and pan, carefully invert them. Pull the cake pan off the buns, leaving them on the serving tray. When buns are cool, pull them apart. 

You can make the buns the day before, cover them loosely with a kitchen towel, then place them in the refrigerator until the next morning. In the morning, you can bake them for 20 minutes for a yummy, warm breakfast treat.