Sunday, September 30, 2007

I'm a Daring Baker: Sticky Buns & Cinnamon Rolls



After Jewish Purist's Bagels, a fancy Strawberry Mirror Cake and delicious Milk Chocolate & Caramel Tart a la Eric Kayser, it's time for daring comfort baking. Pip in the City's Marce chose a recipe for Sticky Buns/Cinnamon Rolls from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. I've been really busy all September, so I didn't have a chance to make these buns/rolls until today, which was a bit nerve-wrecking. What if the dough won't rise/burn in the oven/collapse in the tin? Luckily, they turned out just well. I'm not intimidated of using fresh yeast in the kitchen, and I've made cinnamon rolls for years (remember this?) Remember, the task of any daring baker is to use a recipe without changes. However, Marce had given us some allowances. I made one portion of dough, and used half of it to make a batch of sticky buns and used the other half for making fondant-glazed cinnamon rolls. As orange extract was allowed in the glazing, I cheated a little and added some of my precious Boyajian Pure Orange Oil in the dough instead of lemon zest/juice. I had used this orange extract for making madeleines few months ago, and liked the intense orange flavour it yielded. Continuing the theme, I used finely chopped crystallised orange zest - lovingly made by my dear K. - instead of nuts and almonds for the sticky buns (well, dried fruit was allowed, and crystallised orange zest surely counts, no?)

Both the sticky buns (above) and fondant-glazed cinnamon rolls (below) were delicious. Very, very rich, both of them, but yummy. As they were not more difficult to make than my usual cinnamon rolls, then I might make these again when I want something more luxurious..

Below are quantities 'converted' to my European metric kitchen. The quantitites for the dough make one batch of sticky buns, and one batch of cinnamon rolls. Quantities for fondant glaze and sticky caramel layer have been reduced accordingly.

Enjoy! We're dashing off to my parents place to share some of the still-warm sticky buns with them :) You can learn how other Daring Bakers did with this month's challenge by browsing through the blogroll here.

Cinnamon Rolls & Sticky Buns



The dough:
90 grams caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
75 grams butter
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon orange oil
450-550 grams plain/all-puprose flour
40 grams fresh yeast
240 ml milk, at room temperature

For sprinkling:
100 grams sugar
1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

For sticky buns:
See below.

White fondant glaze:
250 ml icing sugar, sifted
0.25 tsp orange oil
2-3 Tbsp warm milk
Add orange and milk to the icing sugar, then whisk vigorously until you've got a thick, smooth paste.

To make the buns:

1. Mix body-temperature milk with crumbled yeast, let dissolve.

2. Cream together the sugar, salt, and butter on medium-high speed in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a large metal spoon and mixing bowl and do it by hand). Whip in the egg and orange oil until smooth. Then add the flour, yeast+milk. Mix on low speed (or stir by hand) until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12 to 15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. You may have to add a little flour or water while mixing to achieve this texture. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

3. Prove room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

4. Sprinkle the table with a light coating of flower, transfer the dough to the counter. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 1-1.5 cm thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long for larger buns, or 18 inches wide by 9 inches long for smaller buns.
Don´t roll out the dough too thin, or the finished buns will be tough and chewy rather than soft and plump.

5. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and (C) roll the dough up into a cigar-shaped log, creating a cinnamon-sugar spiral as you roll. With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8 to 12 pieces each about 1 3/4 inches thick for larger buns, or 12 to 16 pieces each 2.5 cm thick for smaller buns.)

6. For cinnamon buns, line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns approximately 1/2 inch apart so that they aren´t touching but are close to one another.

7. For sticky buns, coat the bottom of 1 baking dish pans with sides at least 4 cm high with a 6 mm layer of the caramel glaze. Sprinkle on the chopped crystallised orange zest. Lay the pieces of dough on top of the caramel glaze, spacing them about 1/2 inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.

8. Proof at room temperature for 75 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces have grown into one another and have nearly doubled in size. You may also retard the shaped buns in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before baking to allow the dough to proof.

9. Preheat the oven to 175°C with the oven rack in the middle shelf for cinnamon buns but on the lowest shelf for sticky buns.

10. Bake the cinnamon buns for 20 to 30 minutes or the sticky buns 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. If you are baking sticky buns, remember that they are really upside down (regular cinnamon buns are baked right side up), so the heat has to penetrate through the pan and into the glaze to caramelize it. The tops will become the bottoms, so they may appear dark and done, but the real key is whether the underside is fully baked. It takes practice to know just when to pull the buns out of the oven.

11. For cinnamon buns, cool the buns in the pan for about 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze across the tops, while the buns are warm but not too hot. Remove the buns from the pans and place them on a cooling rack. Wait for at least 20 minutes before serving.

12. For the sticky buns, cool the buns in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove them by flipping them over into another pan. Carefully scoop any run-off glaze back over the buns with a spatula. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving.

Caramel glaze for sticky buns
90 grams butter, at room temperature
4 Tbsp caster sugar
4 Tbsp soft brown sugar (I used 'fariinsuhkur')
0.25 tsp salt
4 Tbsp light syrup (I used Dansukker)
0.5 tsp orange oil
Mix sugars, salt and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, and cream together for 2 minutes on high speed with the paddle attachment. Add 4 Tbsp light syrup and 0.5 tsp orange oil . Continue to cream for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Spread at the bottom of the baking pan with a 6-7 mm layer.

53 comments:

Hilda said...

Pille, they look perfect as always with your kitchen wonders. I'll have to try some orange extract instead of sugar in the glaze since I reacted allergically to all the sugar in it and therefore omitted it entirely. And I wished I had that orange extract you mention, I'm a sucker for all things citrus. btw, I made your plum cake the other day and all my plums sank to the bottom of the pan! How do you keep them from doing that?

Ilva said...

They look exquisite and the photos are lovely as well! Maybe I should try to make sticky buns one day...but with my usual dough recipe though!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

So fine Pille!
I like the sticky the best!
That orange oil sounds elegant. I really like the small size you got.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Simply gorgeous looking buns Pille. I am craving for more after seeing these buns everywhere!

K and S said...

both look great! I gotta make some soon ;)

slush said...

Lovely! Buns and the photos alike, gorgeous, great job!

Anne said...

They really look beautiful! Great idea to add orange oil - I bet that went really well with the spice! :)

Anonymous said...

Great job as usual, Pille! And that orange oil sounds fantastic, I´ll try to get hold of it if I ever see it around here.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic buns, Pille! I've been there before, making the challenge at the 11th hour. :)

Unknown said...

Your sticky buns look so nice and gooey! Wonderful job!

Chris said...

Holy Cow! What a picture to open up to. You've kicked this one out of the park. These look fabulous!

Brilynn said...

Agreed with the others, orange oil would have been very nice!

Anonymous said...

They look yummy!

Dagmar said...

They look amazing Pille! I love the photos. What a great idea with the orange oil!

I'm really impressed that you have time with blogging and baking with your super busy schedule! :-)

Gloria Baker said...

The look soooooo nice I like them, I am seeing the recipe, if I have the things to make. I like a lot of your blog. Gloria

Shaun said...

Pille - You're "Wonder Woman". You say you've been busy this month, but you have managed to post loads of entries on your blog, manage eGullet for one week, and, I assume, you've been going to work. And now you pull this wonderful post out! I'm consuming a very dark, rich cup of coffee, before I start working on my thesis, and I can tell you that one of these buns would be greatly appreciated to go with the coffee. I love that you used the pure orange oil. I bet these smelled amazing whilst baking and as soon as they came out of the oven. A wonderful post.

breadchick said...

Pille, the buns of both varieties look fabulous. Great job this month! It was nice, wasn't it, to make something relaxing and simple.

Erin said...

Your sticky buns look gorgeous! The caramel is just the right color.

Anh said...

You convined me that sticky buns are worth trying! Great job!

Peabody said...

Comforting is a great way to describe these. Well done.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Both versions look absolutely delicious!

Unknown said...

Mmm... orange oil. And they look great!

Kevin Kossowan said...

I've seen a load of buns today, and I think that those in the top photo take the cake for 'yummiest looking'.

Anonymous said...

Bravissima, Pille! You never cease to amaze me. Your buns are gorgeous!

Lis said...

Beautiful buns, Pille!

Ohhh and I can't help to say - you've just ensured my plan to NOT use my credit card this month has been flushed down the loo.. I'm making my list for the Boyajian site. :P

hehe!

xoxo

Henny A. said...

Lovely photographs of your cinnamon buns. Great job!

Belinda said...

Oohhh..I love that photo of the overflowing platter of luscious cinnamon rolls...wonderful! :-)

Anonymous said...

Both your buns turned out fantastic! And that first photo of the sticky buns is super-drool-worthy! I love this challenge...can dallaspulla be far behind? ;)

Helene said...

They turned out beautiful! I have a couple of those oils, lemon and orange (not original but great basics to have around) and love them! The pictures are very tempting late at night!

Dharm said...

Lovely! They look just lovely! Well done on this challenge!

April said...

They look great!!

Finla said...

The sticky buns looks really delicious. Wish i had few with a cup of hot coffee

Anonymous said...

They look gorgeous! Mine always seems to turn out a bit dry and becomes hard the next day.

Bruno said...

Great job on your buns Pille!

Anonymous said...

ven though I've had more than my fair share of buns, I wish I could reach through my screen and grab one of the plate!

Katie said...

They look great. Very sticky and moreish.

Deborah said...

I love the sound of that orange oil! Both of your buns look amazing!

Andrea said...

Lovely photos! I like how you experimented with the orange oil...I bet it was quite nice with the cinnamon.

KJ said...

Fantastic. They look so delicious. Well done.

Anonymous said...

Oh, my! They both look terrific! I'm sure you had a happy household for those eating them. ;-)

Paz

Anne said...

such lovely buns! they look absolutely delicious :)

marias23 said...

Wow! I need to make some sticky buns! I wish I hadn't made only the cinnamon rolls!

Thredahlia said...

Nii ilusad ja kindlasti imemaitsvad! Sa ajad mulle praegu sellise isu peale, et ma ei jõua koju jahupaki manu pääsemist kuidagi ära oodata... :P
Ja kui selle kõrvale veel tassi Illy't ka saaks :D

monica said...

wow those buns look fantastic! and the orange oil...i'm in heaven. such a great job on the challenge!

Anonymous said...

That's a beautiful plateful of buns Pille. Four challenges down and who knows how many more to come?!

Aoife said...

Orange oil sounds wonderful. I'd love to try it. Great job on the challenge!

Julie said...

Lovely, your sticky buns look so caramelly! I'm glad I'm reading the DB blogs before bedtime so I can have some seriously sweet dreams!

Karen Baking Soda said...

Oh yes, orange oil! Great choice.

Dolores said...

Your orange-infused buns are beautiful. The more sticky buns I see, the more convinced I am that I have to go back and try that variation.

Annemarie said...

I love the picture of your sticky buns, especially the way they seem to be one enormous sticky bunny thing.

Shayne said...

nice to see you over on blogHer. how does it feel to have the chosen buns

Jeanne said...

Still in awe of all the Daring Bakers... These look gorgeous - almost so good as to make me ovecome my fear of yeast ;-) I love the idea of the orange flavours. And beautiful photos as always!

Pille said...

Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments - Daring Baker or otherwise!

Hilda - I'm sorry to hear about your plums sinking!!! Did you check the amounts? I've got no explanation, really, as I've used this very recipe about 5 times this autumn, and I know of at least three other readers who successfully recreated the cake. I'm lost..

Ilva - I'm with you on the dough for cinnamon rolls- just like most Swedes, I need cardamom in my cinnamon roll dough!!

Shaun, indeed, there was a great scent of orange in the air. Well, the whole house, actually:)

Joey - if we two ever end up co-hosting, we can challenge the other Daring Bakers with dallaspulla:) What do you think?

Thredahlia - ahh, ma eelistan ka Illy't Lavazza'le, kui valida on:)

Shayne - you're very cheeky!!

Jeanne - trust me, as long as you work with good yeast, there's nothing to be afraid of!!