Sticky Cinnamon Roll Buns

  We are a sticky bun/cinnamon roll hybrid kind of family.  Which is a cinnamon roll filling with the caramely gooey topping full of nuts.  Absolutely NO icing.  Yuck.  We just call them cinnamon rolls, but they are definitely a hybrid!  I have been wanting to do this post since the last time I made these which was for Mike's birthday in January.  Now that I am making them for him again for Father's Day tomorrow (the dough is rising as I type), I thought I'd squeeeeeze this post in real quick.  The pictures are from back in January and Ava was actually a great helper.

  These are so delicious and so moist and so everything perfect.  You can even make them the day before and they still are so good reheated in the oven before you serve.  If you have never made cinnamon rolls or sticky buns before, this is a fail proof recipe.  I have tried lots of recipes (that don't always work) and this one works every time.  They also happen to be THE BEST!  Your husband might also think you are the best thing ever if you make them for him.  ;)  Full recipe and directions at the bottom of the blog, helpful commentary throughout the pictures.

   When you let your 3 year old help, spills are inevitable!

 I do all of my mixing/kneading with a stand mixer, but for old time's sake and since she was helping, I also let her "knead" the dough.

 This is the dough after about an hour and a half of rising covered in a warm place.  Don't let it rise too long!  While the dough rises, you prepare the topping and put it in the baking pan.

  Spreading the cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough.  No need to add butter to the filling, there is already plenty in the dough!

  You can see the cinnamon rolls put on top of the topping in the baking pan.  About 1/4 of my family likes the nuts.  Important: you are supposed to use a metal baking pan for more even baking of the center cinnamon rolls.

 Let the rolls rise.  Once again, not too long.  Some of the recipes I have used say that you can refrigerate unrisen unbaked rolls and I have yet to see that work well.  Just bake them now and reheat for day of.

   Perfectly golden!

This caramel is perfect.  Not runny, not tooth breaking hard.  Soft and gooey and sweet, but not too sweet!  So much criteria!

 Do you see the fluffiness of the dough?!?!  Light, chewy, delicious!

If you're lucky, you'll have some leftover!

Soetaert Sticky Cinnamon Roll Buns

This recipe is adapted from a hybrid of two America's Test Kitchen recipes.  The dough is from one, the topping and filling from another.

Dough

1/2 cup milk

8 Tbls. salted butter

1/2 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

4 cups all purpose flour

Topping

6 Tbls. salted butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar packed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbls. water

1 cup pecans (less if not everyone in your family likes them ;))

Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the dough:

1. Heat the milk and butter in a sauce pan until the butter melts.  Let cool until it is lukewarm (about 100 degrees F).

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together the water, yeast, sugar, and eggs.  Add salt, milk mixture, and 2 cups of flour until combined.

3.  Switch to dough hook and mix in the remaining 2 cups of flour.  Mix for about 10 minutes, the dough should not stick to the sides of the bowl.  Shape dough into a round and put in a large bowl covered with a dish towel.  Let rise until double in a warm spot, about 1.5-2 hours.

For the topping:

While the dough rises, grease a 13"x9" metal baking pan.  Whisk together everything except the water and pecans until combined.  Whisk in the water until combined.  Pour into the metal baking pan.  Sprinkle with the pecans.

For the assembly:

1.  Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Lightly roll dough into a roughly 18"x15" rectangle.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the dough.

2.  Loosely roll the dough into an 18" cylinder.  Seal the seam and ends by pinching them together.

3.  Cut the cylinder into 12 equal sizes and place in the prepared metal baking pan.

4.  Cover rolls with a dish towel for another 40 minutes to 1 hour.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees while they are rising.

5.  Bake buns for 30-35 minutes.  Tent with foil after about 20 minutes.

6.  Let buns cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and then carefully invert the pan.

If you are not consuming right away, reheat for about 15 minutes at 350 and they come out wonderful!

Hope you try these sometime!!  Let me know how it goes!