Sticky situation

Last weekend I was afforded the luxury of time in the kitchen so I decided to make sticky buns. I was reminded that there are few more satisfying feelings than kneading dough. Also doughy buns with cinnamon and sugar are just plain delicious. I found the recipe in an old book I bought second-hand which is a 150th anniversary church cookbook. Church groups here usually know what they're talking about when it comes to baking! And I'm thinking these would be a lovely accompanying treat to any Easter brunch. The recipe is fairly easy though takes a while to process due to rising times. I was able to do some chores around the house in the in-between times...and all that waiting had some yummy rewards.

Dough:
2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 pk fast-rising (instant) yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 large egg

Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine (softened)
The recipe called for 1/3 cup raisins and 1/3 cup pecans to add to the mix but I omitted them

Syrup:
1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs butter or margarine
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
The recipe called for 36 pecan halves for garnishing, but again I omitted them

Directions:
First you mix together just 1 cup of the flour and the rest of the dry dough ingredients. Then heat the wet ingredients and add them to the dry. Add the butter and egg and mix for 3 minutes. Then stir more flour into the mixture until you form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead in additional flour, if necessary to form a stiff dough. Knead for about 5 mins until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, and turn the dough over to bring up the greased side. Then cover the dough with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 30-40 mins until it doubles in size. You can also place it in the fridge and let it rise there overnight.

To make the filling, combine the sugar and cinnamon. When dough has risen, lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets or 2 muffin tins (you can make these in the muffin tins and the cups will contain the buns). Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Try to keep the rectangle even to make rolling easier. Spread the butter over the dough and then sprinkle with the filling mixture. Roll the dough into a log; try to keep the log roll tight as you go and pinch the edges to seal them. Cut the log into 1 inch sections crosswise and put the buns on the sheets or tins. Cover and let the buns rise again- this time about 30 minutes. I told you there was a lot of waiting but the end result is so worth it!

Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake the buns 20-25 mins until golden brown. While they're baking, make the syrup by combining the sugar syrup butter and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Resist the urge to lick this mixture because it will be HOT...though yummy. When the buns are finished in the oven, remove them to a wire rack and brush the sticky syrup mixture over them. You could, of course, omit the syrup altogether and you'd have perfectly respectable cinnamon buns. But, 'common!

The church recipe book says to serve these treats warm which I highly recommend. And really, I dare you not to try them as soon as you are finished. My partner in parenting wisely advised that I wouldn't be able to make such decadent treats every weekend with our little one. He was right, but we all need a treat every now and then. And not one of these buns went to waste so I think he enjoyed them as much as I did. I hope you do, too.