Faithful Reader, several days have passed, and my blood sugar levels have returned to normal. Now I can tell you how those beautiful little Sticky Buns came into being.
The final three hours fly by because the pay-off is so big. The dough is ready to be rolled into a long rectangle and brushed with egg wash. A sugar mixture with cinnamon and chopped pecans is sprinkled over that area and lightly pressed into the dough with the rolling pin. Next the dough is rolled into a log, like a spiral in jelly-roll shape. It is wrapped in plastic wrap twice and allowed to rest in the freezer for at least 45 minutes. At this point, the dough can be kept rolled and frozen for at least 30 days in a standard home freezer and up to three months in a sub-zero freezer. This is a great project to make a lot of and keep frozen, ready to go for weekend treats! In fact, I've only baked one roll of this two roll batch. Maybe this weekend I'll bake up the second batch....hmmm. Sounds tasty!
So, when ready to bake the Sticky Buns, remove the log out of the freezer and once it has rested at room temperature for about 15 min, you slice it and press some more pecans into it before putting them into the prepared cake pan. Oh, did I forget to mention that you prep these pans by pushing a whole stick of that high-quality butter into the bottom of a cake pan and then you sprinkle brown sugar and any extra chopped pecans you might have leftover. Also, I add a dash of salt to this base of the bottom of the pan to bring out the sweetness a little bit more. Holy Moly! This is not a low-fat treat!
Can you guess what happens next? The lazy Brioche must rest again. But this time, it isn't just resting. It is proofing and will double in volume. That will take anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on your conditions. Good proofing conditions are a warm, moist environment around 95 degrees. A gas oven with just the pilot light on is a perfect place. Then it is time to bake.
In Julia's Book it says to bake these guys for about 30-40 minutes but I say it can take almost twice the amount of time listed, especially if you like a well-baked bun...not all mushy and doughy, but cooked all the way through. For Pete's Sake! We've come this far for this long, don't blow a fantastic treat by under baking. If they don't look golden enough on top, keep them in the oven another 5-10 min and check again. Remember, that top you are looking at is really the bottom because the presentation side is the side with all those pecans and butter and sugar that were pushed into the pan.
When they are pulled out of the oven, flip the pan over right away onto a cake pedestal to let them cool, like in the photo below.. But be careful! That beautiful, sticky, dripping caramel dripping over the sides of the Sticky Bun is crazy hot and will burn you really bad. These taste best when they have cooled completely. I only know this because I have tasted them, personally, at each stage of cooling. I recommend having a little snack of something nutritious so you won't feel so guilty before you pound down half-a-dozen of these bad boys! Seriously, you must let these cool ate least 20 minutes before even thinking about tasting. The cooler the temperature of the dripping caramel, the better it is going to taste. It will be worth it. Trust me.
The only photos I have left are of an empty cake plate. That little batch lasts about 20 minutes in my household. We all can easily put away 3 or 4 without blinking, or breathing. More is better. Always.
Overall, I'm pleased with this batch of Sticky Buns. In my next batch, I'm going to not roll, fold and rest as many times so I can have larger leaves of pastry to pull apart and fold into my mouth. Taking that into consideration, I would grade this batch a solid A. These are great Sticky Buns and I think the next batch is going to be even better. Maybe even an A+.
So much love,
All the way from over here...
Linda
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