TWD #14 Gimme some of that sticky icky!

Don’t worry… I know what “sticky icky” really is. But if you don’t then of course I am talking about sticky buns! LOL

Thats right! This week’s TWDers baked up some honey-licious sticky buns ala Dorie Greenspan. In one word? Sinful. These sticky buns were solely responsible for my indulgence in one of the 7 deadly sins – gluttony. I was so addicted to the sticky goodness that I ate the whole batch myself – all 15 buns! Ooops! I’ll be paying for that at the gym tomorrow.

I had to bake another batch because T was so upset that he only got caramel-pecan foil leftovers when he got back from his brother’s bachelor party debauchery weekend. Hey you leave me alone for the weekend, I can’t be held responsible for buying 2 pairs of Nina’s and eating all the sticky buns. HA!

What I learned this week:
I realized while baking this recipe that I have really learned alot since joining TWD 3 months ago. I am not afraid of yeast or flipping just-out-of-the-oven pans or rolling dough anymore. It was an amazing ephiphany! Thanks to all my fellow TWDers for their comment love and support. Special thanks to one of my foodie idols, Peabody, who pushed me out of my comfort zone and chose that crazy 3-in-1 brioche snail recipe and began my brioche addiction. ::cheese::

Hosted by Madam Chow @ Madam Chow’s Kitchen
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Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

(Recipe from DB’s Baking: From my home to yours pages 51-53 | photos from me!)

Makes about 15 buns

INGREDIENTS

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

For buns
1/2 recipe dough for Golden Brioche loaves, chilled and ready to shape (Recipe after the cut)

INSTRUCTIONS

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.

[Note to self: Sifting brown sugar isn’t as easy as granulated sugar.]

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.) Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.

[NOTES: I used some dental floss instead of chef’s knife and it was SO much easier!]

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.

ENJOY! :)

Husband rating: A+
He said Dorie should rename this recipe “crack buns”. LOL. I think the name explains it all.

Wifey rating: A+
ditto hubs.

Next week: French Chocolate Brownies pages 92-93

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!)

INGREDIENTS

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

INSTRUCTIONS

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 sticky buns instead, or freeze all or part of the dough for later use.)