Recipe - Maple-Pecan Sticky Buns

One fourth cup Warm water
1 Envelope dry yeast
1/3 cup Oldfashioned oats
1/3 cup Sugar
3 tablespoon Unsalted butter; cut into
pieces
2 teaspoon Grated lemon peel
1 One half teaspoon Salt
1 One fourth cup Milk; (do not use lowfat or
nonfat)
1 lg Egg
1 lg Egg yolk
2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 One half cup (about) unbleached all
purpose flour
Vegetable oil

SYRUP
1 cup Pure maple syrup
9 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
One half cup Pecans; coarsely chopped

FILLING
Three fourths cup Pecans
One half cup (packed) golden brown sugar
One half cup Raisins
2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Place water in small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to blend. Let stand
until yeast dissolves, about 8 minutes. Combine oats, 1/3 cup sugar,
butter, lemon peel and salt in large bowl. Heat milk in small saucepan
until bubbles form around edge of pan. Pour hot milk over oat mixture and
stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool mixture, about 10
minutes.

Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and dissolved yeast to the oat mixture; stir to
blend. Mix in 3 cups flour. Using firm rubber spatula or large wooden
spoon, beat batter 100 strokes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let batter
rest 10 minutes.

Using spatula, mix enough flour into batter, One fourth cup at a time, to form
soft dough. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead gently until smooth
and slightly sticky dough forms, adding more flour if very sticky, about 8
minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in bowl; turn to coat with
oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then with a towel. Let dough rise in
warm draftfree area until doubled in volume, about 1 One half hours. Once it
has risen sufficiently, the dough will retain indentations when pressed.
Meanwhile, prepare syrup and filling:

SYRUP: Butter two 13x9x2inch glass baking dishes. Combine maple syrup and
butter in heavy medium skillet. Stir over medium heat until butter melts.
Remove from heat. Mix in brown sugar. Pour half of syrup into each prepared
dish; tilt to coat bottoms of dishes evenly. Sprinkle each with half of
nuts; cool.

FILLING: Combine all ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, blend
until pecans are finely chopped. Transfer mixture to bowl. Carefully turn
doubled dough out onto floured surface (do not punch down dough). Roll
dough gently to flatten slightly. Using hands, pull and stretch dough to
12x18inch rectangle. Brush dough with 3 tablespoons of melted unsalted
butter.

Sprinkle filling evenly over dough, leaving 1/2inch plain border on one
long side. Starting at long side opposite uncovered border, roll up dough,
jelly roll style, forming a log. Pinch seam to seal. Using a heavy large
knife, score log into 12 equal pieces. Cut log at scores.

Arrange six pieces, cut side up and evenly spaced, in each prepared baking
dish. Lightly press down on buns with palm of hand.

Cover pans tightly with plastic wrap. Let the buns rise again in a warm
draftfree area until light and puffy, about 50 minutes. Position rack in
center of oven and preheat to 375øF. Bake buns uncovered until tops are
golden brown and syrup bubbles thickly, reversing dishes halfway through
baking, about 25 minutes.

Remove dishes from oven. Immediately place large baking sheet over 1 baking
dish. Using oven mits as aid, grasp dish and baking sheet together and turn
over, releasing buns and topping onto sheet. Turn second dish of buns out
onto another baking sheet. Cool buns 5 minutes. (Can be made ahead. Cool
buns completely. Wrap buns tightly with foil on baking sheet. Freeze up to
2 weeks. Bake frozen buns covered at 375øF until heated through, about 15
minutes.) Serve buns hot.

,Bon App‚tit, March 1996 Photography by Brian Leatart

Posted to MMRecipes Digest V5 #015 by "James Mindigo" jfmind@cfanet.com
on Jan 14, 1998