Not So Sticky Buns

Based on a recipe from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. This version uses less fat and less sugar, so it's a little breadier - perfect for breakfast. As Marion Cunningham writes, "cinnamon and other spices have no place in these sticky buns - they have the seductive flavor of caramel and pure, sweet butter and the crunch of nuts". Perfect for ex-pat Brits in the states. :) I think pecans go better with caramel than walnuts do.

Serves 3 to 4 for breakfast.

Dough:

• ¼ c warm water (<105°F)
• 3 tsp dry yeast
• 1 c milk, warmed (<105°F)
• 2 tbsp Crisco
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• about 3 ½ c all-purpose flour

Caramel Glaze:

• 2 tbsp butter
• ¾ c brown sugar, packed
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• ¾ c coarsely chopped pecans

Stir the yeast into the warm water and leave for 5 minutes. If it doesn't foam, your yeast is no good.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg. Beat in the sugar and fats. Beat in the milk and salt. Beat in the yeast mixture and 2 c flour. Beat in more flour (another 1 ½ to 1 ¾ c). The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Knead the dough on a floured board for a minute, adding more flour if necessary. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes and then continue kneading until it is smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a large greased bowl. Place plastic wrap over the dough, not over the bowl, so that the dough can expand. Let it rise until it has doubled in bulk or leave in the refrigerator overnight. I've waited until it has tripled or quadrupled without any serious damage. :)

Put the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a small saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring constantly, until the sugar is disolved. Don't boil the glaze for long or it'll harden! Pour a third of the glaze into each of two 8-inch cake pans. Heat it slightly just before pouring so it spreads easily. Don't use pans with removable bottoms or the glaze might leak. Save the rest of the glaze for later. Sprinkle half the nuts in each pan.

Punch the dough down and divide in halves. Don't knead it at this point. Cover one half while you roll out the other one into an 8-inch square. Spread half the remaining glaze over the dough and roll it up, starting from the largest edge. Cut it into 6 pieces, about 1 ½ inch each. Place these, large end down, in one of the cake pans. They won't fill the pan now, but they will once they rise. Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Let the buns rise for about 35 minutes.

You can leave the buns in the refrigerator overnight rather than letting them rise at this point. In the morning, preheat the oven to 105°F and turn it off. If your oven can't go this low, use the lowest temperature and turn it off after two minutes. Put the buns in the oven for 35 minutes to rise. Then remove them and preheat the oven to 375°F.

Bake at 375°F for about 35 minutes. Place a plate upside down over each pan and invert. Remove the pans. Serve immediately.

Fresh out of the oven!

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