Classic Sticky Buns
Every kitchen needs a quick, go-to bread recipe with just enough softness to make anything from dinner rolls to sticky buns and cinnamon rolls. Use this recipe as a base and tweak it the second time around; you can replace 1/4 cup of the all purpose flour for whole wheat (adding 2 Tbsps extra milk), add 2 Tbsps of cooked butternut squash… you get the picture. Have a question? Call our hotline at 310.656.8800 between 11am and 7pm PT.
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Ingredients
- 3 ounces Butter 85g
- 2/3 cup Milk 160g, whole is best
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 envelope Active dry yeast 7g
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 2-1/2 cups All purpose flour 320g
- 1/2 tsp Salt 2g
- 1 cup Chopped nuts optional
Sticky Bun Glaze (makes more than you need)
- 1-1/3 cups Brown sugar 300g
- 6 ounces Butter 168g
- 2 Tbsp Honey 41g
- 2 tsp Vanilla extract 8g
Filling
- 2 ounces Butter
- 3/4 cup Brown sugar 168g
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
- Warm up the butter and milk just slightly*. Add the sugar, followed by the yeast and let these sit for 10 minutes.
- * Adding yeast to hot liquids will kill most of the spores. Be cautious and warm every so slightly; the butter should feel a bit softer than room temperature, same for the milk.
- Whisk in the eggs and salt in the bowl of a stand or hand held mixer. Add the liquids, then add the flour and mixing using the dough hook for 5-7 minutes.
- Cover and let these rise for 1 hour in a slightly warm place (or covered and in the fridge overnight). Prepare your glaze (see below).
- Prepare your baking pan(s) by lining the bottom with parchment paper or foil. You can use a 9″ pie tin, an 8″ square baking pan or two loaf pans. Scoop the glaze into the prepared pan(s) and warm them as directed. Sprinkle nuts over the glaze, if desired. Either way, lining the pans makes getting the buns out a breeze. Make the filling.
- Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough onto it. You’ll want to roll or press this out into a rectangle a little longer than a sheet of paper (about 7″ x 14″). Sprinkle your filling inside, adding any dried fruit, if desired.
- You want to create as tight a rolled-up spiral as you can. As you roll the dough up, pull back every now and again to make sure it doesn’t unfurl. Try curling your hands up with the dough and pulling back rather than pinching the dough with your fingers. Once you reach the top, pinch to seal as best you can.
- Cut the log into 10 buns and place them over the glazed pan(s). Don’t worry if they aren’t all even. Do your best and know there’s a size for everyone. Cover loosely and let these proof for 45 minutes to one hour (over in the fridge overnight) while you preheat your oven to 325 F.
- Uncover the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on the pan you’re using and how thick the sticky buns were cut. We think they’re best when they are cooked longer.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 30 seconds. Flip the contents over before the sugar hardens and peel back the parchment. You can also opt to let these cool in the pan completely, then wrap the pan up and place it in the freezer, ready to pull out and re-warm in the oven to defrost.
Sticky Bun Glaze (makes more than you need)
- Cream all ingredients together and scoop a little more than half into your cake pan(s). Warm these in the oven until melted. Set aside while you make your filling and the dough rises.
Filling
- Melt butter and pour over brown sugar and cinnamon, adding anything else you like, from cardamom to dried fruit. If using dried fruit, you’ll find it helpful to soak them in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and add to the filling mixture.
