Maple Cardamom Saffron Sticky Buns Recipes

MAPLE STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add shortening, sugar, egg, salt and 5 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes, adding more flour if needed. Divide into thirds. Roll each portion into a 16x10-in. rectangle. , On each rectangle, spread 2 tablespoons butter; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup walnuts. Pour syrup into three greased 9-in. round baking pans. Sprinkle with additional brown sugar. , Tightly roll up each rectangle, jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Slice each roll into 10 pieces; place over syrup. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 350°. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes; invert onto serving plates.

MAPLE-CARDAMOM SAFFRON STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• In a small pot, combine milk, butter, sugar and 1/3 cup/60 milliliters water over medium heat and heat about 1 minute, until butter has melted and the mixture is just lukewarm. (Too much heat will kill the yeast when it's added.)
• Transfer to a bowl, add saffron and yeast, whisk to combine and then set aside until the mixture is yellow and lightly frothy, 15 to 30 minutes.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine both flours, the salt and the milk mixture. Knead for 3 minutes, starting on the lowest speed and gradually increasing to medium, pausing every now and then to scrape down the sides and incorporate any dry bits on the bottom of the bowl. (If there is flour that refuses to be incorporated, add a teaspoon or two of water.)
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead by hand for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Grease a 9-inch/24-centimeter cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Place 1 dough ball in the center of the cake pan and then arrange the rest in a circle around it, leaving a 1/2-inch/1-centimeter gap on all sides of each ball. Cover with a slightly damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size. The buns will press against one other and against the sides of the pan.
• Toward the end of the rising, heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Bake the risen buns for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• While the buns bake, make the syrup: Use the flat side of a heavy knife to crush the cardamom and discard the papery outer pods, reserving the seeds. Use the knife or a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the seeds. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the tip of a small knife to scrape out the seeds from both sides. In a small pot, combine maple syrup, butter, cardamom and vanilla seeds over medium heat and cook 5 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the butter has melted and the syrup has thickened. Reduce the heat if necessary to prevent scorching. Set aside and keep warm.
• As soon as the buns are baked, use a pastry brush to coat them evenly with syrup, then immediately sprinkle with the sea salt and seeds (if using). Let cool 10 minutes before transferring to a serving plate. To eat, slice the bun across the middle, and spread generously with clotted cream.

SWEDISH CARDAMOM BUNS

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, bring the milk to 105 to 110 degrees. Remove it from the heat and pour it into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, give it a quick whisk and let it rest a few minutes to dissolve and activate. If the yeast looks like it's clumping, whisk it gently.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, butter, cardamom, salt and the yeasted milk. Mix on the lowest setting until just combined and beginning to form a dough, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue on low to knead dough, about 2 minutes. It should go from shaggy and coarse to smooth and shiny. Working inside the bowl, give the dough a couple more kneads by hand to bring it together. You can also knead the dough entirely by hand on a work surface. (It'll take 8 minutes or so.)
• Line a 9-by-13-inch quarter sheet pan with parchment paper and dump the kneaded dough out onto it. Using your hands, pat and shape the dough into a large rectangular block. Make 4 or 5 shallow, 1/4-inch-deep slashes in the dough with a knife. Cover the baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
• Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, cardamom and salt on low speed just to form a granular paste. (It should resemble marzipan.) Don't overbeat it: You don't want it to be too soft or get fluffy. You can also do this by hand in a bowl, combining the ingredients with a spatula or bench scraper.
• Line two 13-by-18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator - it will have risen, but don't be surprised if the rise isn't significant - and let sit at room temperature for a few minutes so it's not so stiff that you can't roll it out. Place the dough on a thick silicone mat or a very lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out to a roughly 15-by-18-inch rectangle a little more than 1/8-inch thick, with the shorter side facing you. As you roll it in both directions, pause occasionally between rolls to relax the dough by patting it, lifting it and pulling it to straighten out any ripples.
• Dot the surface of the dough with mounds of the filling. Using an offset spatula, gently spread the filling all over the surface of the dough.
• With the short side of the dough facing you, fold the top third of the dough down over the middle third of the dough, then fold the bottom third up to cover the remaining dough.
• Go over the dough with the rolling pin a couple of times, vertically, to flatten the edges, and stretch it a few more inches before cutting and shaping. You want a 12-by-16-inch rectangle (the longer side will be facing you). If any filling oozes out, use your offset spatula to remove it so your workstation doesn't get sticky.
• Using the straight edge of a ruler and a pastry cutter (or very gently using a small, sharp knife), trim any uneven edges. Cut the dough vertically into 16 1-by-12-inch-long strips. Starting from the end, gently wrap one strip around the tips of your index, middle and fourth finger (or just the index and middle if you've got strong hands), like a bandage, two or three times, letting the dough overlap and working cautiously so it doesn't tear. Place your thumb on top of the wrapped dough, on the side closer to your wrist, to secure the shape, then loop the remaining end of the strand over and through the center of the bun, tucking it under at the base of the bun. You should have a rounded bun made out of bandage-like strips. The knotted part will be unexposed, hidden at the bottom.
• Place each bun on the prepared baking sheets as you go, patting it down for a flatter shape. Space the buns evenly (you can eyeball it). Leave them to proof at room temperature, uncovered, for about 1 hour. They should expand and soften.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Finish the buns: In a small bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat the egg together with 1 tablespoon water until well combined and frothy.
• Grind the cardamom pods in a spice grinder, making sure you break down the tough outer husks. Transfer the ground spice to a small bowl and whisk it together with the sugar.
• Lightly brush each bun with the egg wash, and generously sprinkle the tops of the buns with the cardamom sugar, using about 1/2 teaspoon per bun.
• Bake for 8 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 degrees, rotate trays completely (180 degrees and top to bottom, bottom to top) and continue baking for an additional 12 minutes. The surface of the buns should be golden brown. (Some butter may seep out of the buns and pool - that's normal - but if you're worried that it will burn on the trays, cover the buns with parchment paper toward the end of baking, once they've reached the desired color.)
• Let the buns cool for 10 minutes before eating, so the spiced, sweet buttery goo that pools around their edges can harden into crispy candylike edges, or let them cool entirely.

STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• Combine the yeast mixture with the buttermilk, eggs, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Dough should remain soft and slightly sticky. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Divide dough in half and roll each half into a 12x7 inch rectangle. Spread each half with 1 tablespoon softened butter and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Roll up halves, beginning at wide side. Seal well by pinching the seams. Cut each roll into 12 slices.
• Coat two 9 inch round cake pans each with 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons raisins and 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Place 12 dough slices in each pan, leaving a small space between slices. Cover and let rise until doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Invert pans onto plates and serve.

MAPLE-PECAN STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• To make dough:
• 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 from around edge of pan. Pour hot milk over oat mixture and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool mixture to 105°F to 115°F, about 10 minutes.
• Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla and dissolved yeast to oat mixture; stir to blend. Mix in 3 cups flour. Using firm 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, 1/4 cupful 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 large bowl. Place dough in bowl; turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then with towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare syrup and filling.
• To make syrup:
• Butter two 13 x 9 x 2-inch 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 of bottom of dishes evenly. Sprinkle each with half of nuts; cool.
• To make filling:
• Combine all ingredients in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until pecans are finely chopped. Transfer mixture to bowl.
• To assemble and bake:
• 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 12 x 18-inch rectangle. Brush dough with all of melted butter. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border on 1 long side. Starting at long side opposite uncovered border, roll up dough jelly roll style, forming log. Pinch seam to seal.
• Using heavy large knife, score log into 12 equal pieces. Cut log at scores. Arrange 6 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. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate overnight.)
• Let buns rise in warm draft-free area until light and puffy, about 50 minutes if buns are at room temperature or 1 hour 15 minutes if refrigerated.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. 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 mitts as aid, grasp dish and baking sheet together and turn over, releasing buns and topping onto sheet. Turn second dish of buns onto another 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 375°F until heated through, about 15 minutes.) Serve buns hot.