Friday, April 5, 2024

Avoiding the hot pan and searing hot caramel

Give me a cinnamon roll covered in caramel and pecans and I'm sold. Call them whatever you want... they are delicious. We had a lower key weekend and I decided that we needed delicious breakfast for Sunday morning. These sticky buns weren't super easy - especially the flipping part, that was potentially a burning experience. I have a girl who doesn't like frosting and glaze and a boy who loves pecans... so this worked out well for us. She saved all her nuts for Andy, which he was pretty pleased about.
I let these rise in the fridge over night because doing all this work on a Sunday morning isn't my style. As soon as I woke up on Sunday I tossed these in the oven with the light on so they would come up to room temp. they could have baked a little longer... the center buns were not at my ideal 190 degrees but we were getting closer and closer to needing to leave for church so we made it work. Very soft and very yummy. The pan flip was interesting... hard to get a hot glass dish off the buns you just flipped without getting burned from the pan or the searing hot caramel. BUT we made it work and got to church on time. TWO wins!

Pecan Sticky Buns

Dough:
1 cup milk
¼ cup (4 tablespoons) butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
1 large egg
3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Caramel:
10 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cup cups packed light brown sugar
⅓ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans

Filling:
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the dough, heat the milk in a medium saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl or liquid measuring cup until the milk is scalded (which is basically heating it until right before it simmers – it will start steaming and little bubbles will form around the edges).
Pour the milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or you can do this by hand with a large bowl and wooden spoon).
Add the butter, sugar and salt. Mix until the butter is melted, and let the mixture cool until warm (if you dip a finger in, it should feel like a warm bath – not too hot, not too cold, just right).
Stir in the yeast and let rest for 5-7 minutes until the yeast is foamy (technically, you don't need to let the yeast activate before adding the flour, but I find in yeast bread recipes with milk, the dough rises quicker/better if I let the yeast activate first).
With the mixer running, add the egg and then gradually add the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The exact amount will depend on the temperature, humidity and how you measure flour. The dough should be soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Don't over flour!
Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until soft and smooth.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.
While the dough rises, prep the caramel pecan mixture. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and mixture is well-combined (try not to let it simmer). Off the heat, whisk in the cream and the vanilla until well-combined.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Spread the caramel mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle pecans over the top. Set aside until the caramel mixture has cooled to room temperature or just slightly warm.
Roll or press the dough into a 10X16-inch rectangle. Spread the 4 tablespoons butter over the top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the butter.
Starting with one long end, roll up the dough into a semi-tight log (without stretching or pulling the dough!). Using a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss or thread, cut the log into 12 equal pieces.
Place the rolls in the pan (3 across, 4 down). Cover with a lightly greased plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise until noticeably puffy and the sides of the rolls are touching.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 20-25 minutes until rolls are lightly golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes (too long and the caramel will harden and make the buns hard to turn out – too short and the caramel will be too runny).
Loosen the edges of the rolls with a butter knife. Place a parchment lined baking sheet (or serving tray) upside down on top of the pan of buns and grabbing the edges of both the baking sheet and 9X13-inch pan, flip over, giving a light tap on the counter, so the rolls turn out onto the baking sheet.
Scrape any additional caramel and pecans over the buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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