I love inclement weather. Love it. I dream of getting
stranded in my kitchen by a raging storm, with nothing better to do than watch the
rain or snow or whatever pelt my windows while I sip on a hot cup of coffee spiked
with something and tend to my baked goods.
Yeast dough:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 package highly active dry yeast
4 to 5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Heat the milk, sugar, and shortening until boiling. Cool to lukewarm temperature, and add the yeast and flour mixture. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.
Spiced orange syrup:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
small pinch of salt
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
**Lemon Almond variation: replace the orange juice, orange zest, and spices with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Replace the toasted chopped pecans with slivered almonds.
Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a muffin tin and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, spices, and salt, stirring until all ingredients are melted and bubbling. Remove from the heat, and place 2 tablespoons of the syrup in each muffin cup (reserve the leftover syrup to drizzle over the baked sticky buns).
Place balls of dough about 2 in. in diameter in each muffin cup, and let the rolls rise in a warm place for an hour, until the rolls are puffy. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown, and then immediately turn the rolls out onto a large plate and drizzle with the excess syrup. Serve warm.
But there is no rain or snow or whatever here right now. It's so
hot and dry in Texas that I've forgotten what blinking feels like. So instead of enjoying the rain and the
thunder and some coffee while I made these, I had a lavender vodka soda
(my struggles with infusing vodka will be posted in the quasi-near future) and
tried hard not to look out the window, lest I be set on fire by the visible
heat waves rising from the sidewalk.
These sticky buns are a day-and-a-half project, especially if you opt to make the dough yourself. Listed below is my great aunt's basic yeast roll recipe adapted from the 1959 edition of the Newellton Garden Club Cookbook, and it makes enough dough to make these sticky buns two times over. You can wrap and freeze the excess dough for later use, or use the other half of the dough to try the Lemon Almond variation listed below. (I realize that I am one of a very small group of people who would dedicate a whole day and a half to making a pastry, so you can also try a quick buttermilk biscuit recipe or substitute whatever pre-made biscuit dough you prefer).
Yeast dough:
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 package highly active dry yeast
4 to 5 cups of flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Heat the milk, sugar, and shortening until boiling. Cool to lukewarm temperature, and add the yeast and flour mixture. Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled in bulk. Cover and refrigerate the dough overnight.
Spiced orange syrup:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
small pinch of salt
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
**Lemon Almond variation: replace the orange juice, orange zest, and spices with 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Replace the toasted chopped pecans with slivered almonds.
Preheat the oven to 400. Grease a muffin tin and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, spices, and salt, stirring until all ingredients are melted and bubbling. Remove from the heat, and place 2 tablespoons of the syrup in each muffin cup (reserve the leftover syrup to drizzle over the baked sticky buns).
Place balls of dough about 2 in. in diameter in each muffin cup, and let the rolls rise in a warm place for an hour, until the rolls are puffy. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes or until golden brown, and then immediately turn the rolls out onto a large plate and drizzle with the excess syrup. Serve warm.
