The Ultimate Sticky Buns

 Recipe from: America’s Test Kitchen

SERVESMakes 12 buns

TIME2¼ hours, plus 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours resting

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

Flour Paste

⅔ cup water 

¼ cup (1 1/3 ounces) bread flour 

Dough

⅔ cup milk 

1 large egg plus 1 large yolk

2 ¾ cups (15 1/8 ounces) bread flour 

2 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 

3 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1 ½ teaspoons salt 

6 tablespoons 

unsalted butter,

softened

Topping

6 tablespoons 

unsalted butter,

 melted

½ cup packed (3 1/2 ounces) 

dark brown sugar

¼ cup (1 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar 

¼ cup dark corn syrup 

¼ teaspoon salt 

2 tablespoons water 

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Filling

¾ cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) 

dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon 

ground cinnamon

These buns take about 4 hours to make from start to finish. For dough that is easy to work with and produces light, fluffy buns, we strongly recommend that you measure the flour for the dough by weight. The slight tackiness of the dough aids in flattening and stretching it in step 6, so resist the urge to use a lot of dusting flour. Rolling the dough cylinder tightly in step 7 will result in misshapen rolls; keep the cylinder a bit slack. Bake these buns in a metal, not glass or ceramic, baking pan. We like dark corn syrup and pecans here, but light corn syrup may be used, and the nuts may be omitted, if desired.

1

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE FLOUR PASTE: Whisk water and flour together in small bowl until no lumps remain. Microwave, whisking every 25 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency that forms mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl, 50 to 75 seconds.

2

FOR THE DOUGH: In bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour paste and milk together until smooth. Add egg and yolk and whisk until incorporated. Add flour and yeast. Fit stand mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 1 to 2 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add sugar and salt and mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes. Stop mixer and add butter. Continue to mix on medium-low speed for 5 minutes longer, scraping down dough hook and sides of bowl halfway through (dough will stick to bottom of bowl).

3

Transfer dough to lightly floured counter. Knead briefly to form ball and transfer seam side down to lightly greased bowl; lightly coat surface of dough with vegetable oil spray and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise until just doubled in volume, 40 minutes to 1 hour.

4

FOR THE TOPPING: While dough rises, grease 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan. Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt together in medium bowl until smooth. Add water and whisk until incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and tilt pan to cover bottom. Sprinkle evenly with pecans, if using.

5

FOR THE FILLING: Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined; set aside.

6

Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter. Press dough gently but firmly to expel air. Working from center toward edge, pat and stretch dough to form 18 by 15-inch rectangle with long edge nearest you. Sprinkle filling over dough, leaving 1-inch border along top edge; smooth filling into even layer with your hand, then gently press mixture into dough to adhere.

7

Beginning with long edge nearest you, roll dough into cylinder, taking care not to roll too tightly. Pinch seam to seal and roll cylinder seam side down. Mark gently with knife to create 12 equal portions. To slice, hold strand of dental floss taut and slide underneath cylinder, stopping at first mark. Cross ends of floss over each other and pull. Slice cylinder into 12 portions and transfer, cut sides down, to prepared baking pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until buns are puffy and touching one another, 40 minutes to 1 hour. (Buns may be refrigerated immediately after shaping for up to 14 hours. To bake, remove baking pan from refrigerator and let sit until buns are puffy and touching one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.) Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to lowest and lower-middle positions. Place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack to catch any drips and heat oven to 375 degrees.

8

Bake buns on upper rack until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil and bake until center of dough registers at least 200 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let buns cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Place rimmed baking sheet over buns and carefully invert. Remove pan and let buns cool for 5 minutes. Using spoon, scoop any glaze on baking sheet onto buns. Let cool for at least 10 minutes longer before serving.

Swig Copycat Sugar Cookies

Swig Copycat Sugar Cookies

From everydayjenny.com

1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350. Cream together the softened butter, oil, and sugar. Add the eggs, sour cream, extracts and mix until well combined. Add the dry ingredients last and mix until a nice soft dough forms.  (I like to knead the dough by hand to incorporate the last bit of flour.) Roll dough into golfball size balls and placed on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Using the back of a drinking glass sprayed with cooking spray, smash the balls into round circles about 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 8-10 minutes- cookies should not brown at all.  Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack if desired. Allowing them to cool on the cookie sheet is very important because they continue to cook. Don’t take them off too soon! I rotate two pans when I cook these so my first pan of cookies has the time to cool.

Frosting
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream*
2 pounds powder sugar
red food coloring (if desired)

Whip the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer on medium speed for a few minutes until light and fluffy.  Add the sour cream and a few drops of red food coloring and mix for another minute, then gradually add the powdered sugar a cup at at time.  You want the frosting to be nice and stiff, not runny. I usually add a few cups of sugar, check the consistency and taste and then add more if needed. You might not use the whole 2 pounds of powdered sugar. Frost the cooled cookies. I like using the Wilton 1M tip for rosettes.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup butter3/4 cup brown sugar1 cup cream cheese1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

Cream butter and sugar. Add cream cheese and vanilla and mix until smooth.

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS

YIELD: 12 LARGE CINNAMON ROLLS(from melskitchencafe.com)

THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS {CHERYL'S FAMOUS RECIPE}

PREP TIME 25 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 20 MINUTES

 

ADDITIONAL TIME 3 HOURS

 

TOTAL TIME 3 HOURS 45 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

SPONGE:

•  1/2 cup (3.75 ounces) granulated sugar
•  1/2 cup neutral-flavored oil
•  2 cups milk, scalded (heat to just below a boil), I use 2% milk
•  4 cups (20 ounces) all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
•  1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note for active dry yeast)

DOUGH:

•  3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
•  1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•  1 1/2 teaspoons salt

FILLING:

•  8-12 tablespoons butter, softened
•  3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) packed light brown sugar
•  1 tablespoon cinnamon
•  1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional but delicious)

ICING:

•  2 ounces cream cheese, softened
•  8 tablespoons (1 stick, 4 ounces) butter, softened
•  Pinch salt
•  2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•  1 3/4 cups (7 ounces) powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a bowl to mix by hand), add the sugar and oil. Pour in the scalded milk and mix. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes or so until it is warm but not blazing hot.
2. Add the 4 cups flour and sprinkle the yeast on top of the flour. Mix until no dry streaks remain and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. The dough will be loose and wet-looking. Cover the bowl and let the sponge rest until puffy and doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.
3. Add the remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until the flour is completely incorporated and the dough looks smooth instead of rough and shaggy. It may not necessarily clean the sides of the bowl but it should for a pretty cohesive mass. Add additional flour only if it is too sticky to handle or a small piece of dough won't form a ball in your hands (it's ok if it leaves some doughy residue on your fingers).
4. Scrape the dough into a lightly greased bowl or container, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
5. On a lightly floured counter (I use about 2-3 tablespoons flour), roll or pat the dough into about a 18X12-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon (and cardamom, if using) in a bowl and sprinkle evenly across the top of the butter. Pat down very lightly.
6. Starting with one long end, start rolling the rectangle into a log without pulling and stretching on the dough (but still rolling as tightly as possible). Roll the seam to the bottom and pat the log into an even thickness - it should be about 20 inches long or so at this point.
7. Cut the log into 12 even pieces. Place the rolls on a parchment-lined half sheet pan, tucking the loose end of the roll underneath, if you want. The rolls should be about an inch apart so they have room to rise. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise until noticeably puffy and almost doubled, about an hour.
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-25 minutes until lightly golden and baked through. Let cool until warm before frosting.
9. For the frosting, add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Whip with a handheld (or stand) mixer until creamy. Add the salt, milk or cream, and vanilla. Mix again. Add the powdered sugar and whip until light and creamy.
10. Spread the slightly warm rolls evenly with the icing. Serve immediately or let cool completely and serve at room temperature (or warm lightly before serving).

NOTES

If you only have active dry yeast, proof the same amount of yeast in a couple tablespoons of warm water and a pinch of sugar until the mixture bubbles and foams, 3-4 minutes. Add it to the recipe per the instructions (when the instant yeast is added).

This recipe doubles great (I've only doubled it in my Bosch mixer, not the KitchenAid).

Usually with a yeast dough recipe, I give a big ol' lecture about going by the texture and feel of the dough vs the exact flour amount. With this recipe, the flour amount is important - the dough will probably be softer and slightly stickier than you may be used to - try not to add additional flour. Use the pictures and details in the post to get an idea of how the dough should look and feel. Add additional flour a little at a time only if the dough is too sticky to work with.

Just like Gloria's recipe, these baked cinnamon rolls freeze amazingly well. After they've been frosted and cooled, I'll scoop the rolls one by one into a quart-size ziploc bag, seal and freeze. It gets a little messy with the frosting, but once they are lightly warmed, no one notices - they taste as fresh as the day they were made! It helps to take them out of the bag still frozen and then microwave for a minute or so on 50% power until warm and gooey.

Make-Ahead: this post details how to make sweet rolls ahead of time.

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/THE-BEST-CINNAMON-ROLLS/

Buttermilk Banana Bread (My favorite Recipe)

YIELD: 1 LARGE LOAF PAN(From melskitchencafe.com)

BUTTERMILK BANANA BREAD

PREP TIME 20 MINUTES

 

COOK TIME 50 MINUTES

 

TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

•  1/2 cup butter, softened
•  1 1/2 cups sugar
•  2 eggs
•  1 cup mashed bananas (I use about 3 average sized bananas)
•  4 tablespoons buttermilk (here is a guide for making your own buttermilk)
•  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
•  1 3/4 cups flour
•  1 teaspoon baking powder
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/8 teaspoon baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grease and flour 1 large loaf pan (9 1/4 X 5 1/4-inch) or whatever combination of pans you'd like (several commenters have said this recipe works great made into muffins or smaller loaf pans).
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla until the batter is well mixed. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt and soda. Mix until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOTES

Often times, I'll decrease the sugar to 1 cup, increase the bananas to 1 1/2 cups and the bread still turns out extremely moist and delicious!

HTTPS://WWW.MELSKITCHENCAFE.COM/BUTTERMILK-BANANA-BREAD/