Thursday, January 10, 2013

Sticky Buns - Easier than Cinnamon Rolls



Sticky Buns
 
 
I normally make homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning at our house.  This year, I decided to take a few shortcuts.  The first thing I did was make my dough in my bread machine.  (You can use the same recipe and just do it without a bread machine, but I let my bread machine do the mixing and rising for me just to save time.) 
 
I use the same recipe as I do for my Schoolhouse Dinner Rolls except that I add a blended egg to the liquid ingredients for a richer dough.  This is the exact same recipe that I use for my cinnamon rolls 
 
 
 
The only difference is that you roll the dough into balls instead of rolling the dough out, spreading on butter and cinnamon/brown sugar, and cutting them.  I made my dough balls with buttered hands, rolled each ball in cinnamon sugar, and then placed the dough balls in a pan, the bottom of which was spread with melted butter/margarine, a little brown sugar, milk, and pecans.  It's like you are making monkey bread just in one layer like a pan of dinner rolls.  Am I making sense?
 
Here's how I made Sticky Buns - Easier than Cinnamon Rolls AT HOME MY WAY:
 
 
DOUGH RECIPE:  (Bread Machine instructions for making the dough)
  • 1 1/3 cup very warm water (hot but no hurt)
  • 1 packet of yeast (or 2 teaspoons)
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1 egg (slightly beaten before adding to the other ingredients)
Instructions: Measure the water in a 2- cup measuring cup, add the sugar and yeast. Stir very gently and set a timer for 10 minutes. Let this get all foamy for 10 minutes. Then, add 1/4 cup of oil (vegetable, canola or olive) and the slightly beaten egg to this mixture. Stir very gently, then dump  into your bread machine pan (liquids go first).

Next add 4 cups all purpose flour to your bread machine pan
and 1 teaspoon salt.

Set your bread machine to the dough setting. (Mine takes 2 hours.)
When the dough setting is complete, proceed as below by forming rolls, etc.


TO MAKE THE STICKY BUNS:
 
I used only half of my dough and made a 9" round cake pan of rolls.   For using all of the dough, you would need to increase the amount of ingredients for the sticky in the bottom of the pan.
 
In the bottom of the pan of your choosing (needs to have sides like a cake pan),
  • Melt 1/2 stick margarine - swirl all around to cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Sprinkle with brown sugar - (I used about 1/2 cup)
  • Add 4 T. milk.
With a fork blend this mixture together so that it covers the entire bottom of the pan.
  • Sprinkle with pecans.
  •  
Using the Dough:
  • Using very buttered hands, roll dough into balls the size of a ping pong ball. 
  • Roll each buttered ball in a mixture of cinnamon sugar (To a cup of sugar, use 1 teaspoon cinnamon).
  • Place the balls on top of the melted ingredients (and nuts) in the bottom of your cake pan (not quite touching each other).
  • Sprinkle the remaining sugar/cinnamon around on the dough balls in the pan.
Let the dough balls rise in warm place until doubled.
 
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool only 5 minutes.
 
  • Place a serving pan/cookie sheet over the baked rolls and using potholders to protect your hands, flip the rolls out of the pan they were baked in.  You may have to scoop out some of the yumminess left in the bottom of the pan and put it on your rolls.
GOBBLE THEM UP!  My family loved these rolls.  They were so much easier and actually lighter since they didn't have all of those heavy ingredients inside the rolls plus frosting.  I hope you try them!