Sticky Buns

I must break my blog silence with this most nostalgic recipe: sticky buns. Growing up, practically every time I saw my grandma she had made these, and I would snarf down a few of them pretty quickly. Now she has passed away, so I got the recipe from my mom and gave it a try for myself.

Grandma's Sticky Buns

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 T active dry yeast
• 1 c warm water (100-110 degrees)
• 1/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 T butter
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 c bread flour (my mom has used regular flour plus gluten)

Topping:

• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 3 T light corn syrup
• 1 c pecans (optional)
  

Filling:

• butter (1/2 c?), softened
  
• 1/2 c white or brown sugar
• cinnamon (1/4 c?)
  

Directions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
2. Mix the yeasty water with the sugar, salt, 2T butter, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat together using a hand mixer.
3. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, using the hand mixer until the dough becomes too thick. At that point, work the remaining flour into the dough by hand until it is easy to handle. Although no kneading is required, it may be helpful to knead gently to incorporate the flour.
4. Place in a greased bowl and turn to coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to four days, or set in a warm place to rise until doubled.
5. Shortly before rolling out the dough, combine the 1/2 c butter, 3/4 c brown sugar, and corn syrup in a saucepan on the stove and stir together until glossy. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle evenly with pecans.
   
6. When you are ready to roll out the dough, turn it out of the bowl onto a well floured surface. Pat the dough out into a good-sized rectangle and spread with butter. Combine the 1/2 c white or brown sugar with cinnamon, then sprinkle onto dough over butter. Starting from a long end, roll up dough into a tight log, stretching the dough as you roll. Pinch the end to seal.
   
7. Cut off the ends, then cut the log into 15 evenly-sized pieces (or cut into 16 and eat one) and place into prepared pan, three across and five down. Cover and refrigerate, or allow to rise 1 1/2 hours. If refrigerating overnight, allow to rise before baking.
   
8. Bake at 370 degrees for 25 minutes. Dump out onto cooling racks immediately, and scrape out any topping remaining in the pan and put on rolls.

Comments & Modifications:

• I mixed up the dough and rolled it out in the same day, then put in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I took them out of the fridge and left for church. About 1 1/2 hours later, the rolls hadn't risen much, but I baked them anyway and they came out fine, if a little small. But it would be best to plan for more rise time in the morning.

Verdict: How could these not be yummy?? They were everything I remembered. I ate three. Dan and I fought over the topping that dripped on the counter. It was good.

Middle East Inspiration

For the past three weeks my family and I have been on vacation in the Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel. It was amazing! One of the best parts was the food; apparently middle eastern food is something I haven't explored nearly enough! Here are some of the dishes that inspired me:

Lemonade or lemon ice with fresh or dried mint

Bananas, dates, honey, and cream blended together for tasty drink

Maklouvi, or spiced chicken and rice with fried almonds and pine nuts, topped with yogurt

Stuffed zucchini, filled with any of the following:
- rice
- ground beef
- bread crumbs
- cheese
- spices
- sausage

Roasted cauliflower salad with mayo and spices

Roasted eggplant salad with a tangy tomato based sauce

Salads in general, made up of the following:
- a grain, such as rice, bulgur, couscous, quinoa
- diced vegetables, raw or cooked, such as peppers, broccoli, onion, corn,
- a protein, such as shredded chicken or chickpeas
- an acid, such as lemon juice or vinegar
- herbs and spices

I'm looking forward to trying some of these!