SCOTT PEACOCK’S IDEAL PECAN ROLLS

Okay all you dieters.  This one is NOT for you!  Save it for a special treat day.  You know I like to make treats more healthful and, if possible, lower in fat and sugar.  But there isn't much that can be done with sticky buns.  Just suck it up and enjoy these.  Share them so you won't eat them all.  Eat them slowly -- very, very slowly -- and enjoy every single bite.  They are so, so good.

These sticky buns have more yeast than I usually like to work with.  My preference is for slow-rise yeast dough that cures in the fridge for several days and uses a minimal amount of yeast.  That being said, this is an excellent recipe that produces light and flavorful buns with wonderful caramel flavor.  And there is some curing of dough, even if it’s only overnight.  I halved the recipe to fill just one 8” cake pan (6 rolls), because I was testing the recipe.  If I make these again, I’ll make the full batch of 12 rolls and bake them in a 9x12 pan.   
I have made a number of changes to the recipe, some of which simplified it and others were just personal preference.  Scott mixes the dough in a stand mixer, but since I halved the recipe, it was easy to make the dough in my food processor.    This is a recipe I would use again, because everyone loved these rolls.

Scott Peacock’s Ideal Pecan Rolls, adapted Source:  Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, March 2010 Rating:  9.5 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

DOUGH:  6 Tbsp. milk 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut up 2 Tbsp. lite sour cream (Scott uses crème fraiche)  2 Tbsp. warm water 1/2 pkg. active dry yeast 1 large egg 2-1/4 cups bread flour, divided use 2 Tbsp. sugar 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt In small pot, or in microwaveable bowl, heat the milk till steamy.  Add the butter to the milk; stir till melted.  Stir in sour cream and let cool. In the meantime, in work bowl of food processor, stir together warm water and yeast.  Let stand 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, add the sour cream mixture, egg, 3/4 cup of flour, sugar and salt to the work bowl; pulse till smooth and well combined.  Add remaining 1-1/2 cups flour and pulse till sticky dough forms.  Turn out onto floured board; let rest 10 minutes, then knead lightly, just till smooth.  Dough should be slightly sticky.  Place in greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been lightly coated with softened butter, then cover bowl with a second piece of plastic wrap.   Refrigerate overnight to develop flavor. Next day, transfer dough to a warm place until double in size, about 2 hours, or longer depending on room temperature.  Don’t be in a hurry, because slow rising develops  better flavor.  While dough is rising, make the sticky topping and prepare the filling (both recipes below). Butter sides of an 8” cake pan or pie plate.  Spread topping in pan; spread evenly with spatula.  Scatter pecan halves over butter-sugar mixture.   Roll out dough to a 9x15 rectangle.  Spread with the 2 Tbsp. melted butter from the filling recipe.  Sprinkle the dough with the sugars and cinnamon, then with the chopped nuts.  Tightly roll the dough beginning at one short side, keeping the roll as uniform as possible.  Pinch the edges to seal the roll.  Cut into six even portions, about 1-1/2” in width each, using a serrated knife.  Arrange rolls over the sticky topping, then press gently so they will rise down and out as well as up.  Cover dish loosely with buttered plastic wrap and let rolls rise until fully doubled (about 60 minutes).  Heat oven to 375F.  Uncover and bake rolls about 30-35 minutes.  Cover with foil if rolls are browning too fast.  Cool on rack 5 minutes, then invert onto serving platter.  (If made ahead, reheat, uncovered, 15-20 minutes at 350F. STICKY TOPPING:  1/4 cup (1/2 stick) soft butter 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup, honey or maple syrup 1-1/2 Tbsp. water or orange juice 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves In medium bowl, stir together butter, sugar and syrup till well combined.  Stir in water.  Spread in bottom of pan; top with pecans. FILLING: 2 Tbsp. each, white and brown sugars 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 2 Tbsp. butter, melted  1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans, or chopped dates or raisins Combine sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Reserve butter and pecans for top of rolled-out dough. (You might also want to check out my Maple-Walnut Sticky Buns and Honey Sticky Buns.)

MAPLE-WALNUT STICKY BUNS

Sticky buns are winter comfort food.  With a cup of coffee or tea on a cold, dreary day, these really hit the spot.  This recipe is easy and very good.  Feel free to use all-purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour, and use your favorite nuts if walnuts are not your choice.  Brown sugar, orange rind and cinnamon make a flavorful filling for the light-as-air rolls.  Maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice and walnuts are the “sticky” topping. 

I’ve also made a lower-fat version of this recipe you may want to check out.  You can freeze leftovers, and they’ll keep for several months.  Just thaw them on the counter for about 1/2 hour and nuke the thawed rolls for about 45 seconds on high.  Or wrap in tinfoil and bake thawed rolls in the oven at 400F for about 20 minutes.  Eat them as is or with Smart Balance butter spread or butter.

Maple-Walnut Sticky Buns Source:  Judy’s Kitchen Rating:  9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  Rolls:  1 pkg. active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp.) 1/4 cup lukewarm water (test it on the inside of your wrist; it should be comfortably warm.) 1/2 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix 3-1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, divided use 1 cup lite sour cream 1/4 cup melted butter 1 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1 egg 1 Tbsp. oil Filling:  2/3 cup brown sugar 1 Tbsp. grated orange zest 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, melted Sticky Topping:  1/4 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, Grade A Amber 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp. orange juice 1-1/2 cups broken walnuts In work bowl of food processor, dissolve yeast in water; let stand 10 minutes.  Add pudding mix, 1 cup flour, sour cream, sugar, salt and egg.  Process till smooth.  Gradually add remaining  flour, using only enough to make a pliable dough.  Process well after each addition.   Lightly flour a board and turn the dough out onto it.  With floured hands, knead the dough till it is soft and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Grease a large bowl with 1 Tbsp. oil.  Put the dough into the bowl, turning over once so that it is greased all around.  Dampen a clean kitchen towel and place it over dough.  Set the bowl in a warm area, free of drafts, till light and doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.  For filling, combine brown sugar, zest and cinnamon in small bowl; set aside.  For topping, place butter, syrup, brown sugar and orange juice in 9”x12” pan.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle walnuts over the mixture; set aside.   Punch dough down after it has risen.  Roll out on floured board to 24” x 12” rectangle.  Brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over butter.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Cut into 12 equal pieces.  Distribute pieces evenly over 9” x 12” pan, flattening each piece slightly.  Cover with damp towel and let rise about 1 hour, or  till doubled again.  In the meantime, heat oven to 350F.  When rolls are double, place in hot oven and bake 30-35 minutes, or till cooked all the way through and browned on top.  Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto board or platter.  Yield:  12 sticky buns

HONEY STICKY BUNS AND SPIRAL SWEET ROLLS

Overnight company is coming this weekend, so I thought I would make some homemade buns for breakfast. Our friends are very conscious of fat content, so I altered this recipe accordingly. Instead of making a 9x12 pan of rolls, I opted to make two 8" round pans. One pan will be sticky buns, and one pan will be a different filling with no sticky nuts on the bottom. Both are lower-fat versions of the original. I also added some whole-wheat flour to make it more nutritious. This is an easy recipe, especially if you have a KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook or a bread machine to mix the dough and a food processor for the filling. And if you've never tried homemade bread, don't be afraid of it. That's the one thing that you can't overbeat. The more you beat/mix it, the better it gets.

Sweet Roll Dough

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup low-fat milk

1/4 cup Smart Balance buttery spread

1/4 cup water

1/2 package vanilla pudding mix (1/4 cup)

3-1/2 cups bread flour, divided use

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 package Rapid Rise (very active) yeast (2-1/4 tsp.)

DIRECTIONS: In small pot, heat milk with buttery spread, till spread starts to melt (120 degrees F). Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup water. If you don't have a yeast thermometer, stir the milk and put a few drops on your wrist. If it is comfortably warm, it's ok. (If it's too hot, it will kill the yeast, if it's too cool, the yeast won't rise.) In large bowl, mix all dry ingredients, except for 1 cup of flour. Add the liquids and beat till smooth, then for at least two more minutes (I do it for 3 minutes). Add the reserved flour in 1/4 cup increments, beating till smooth after each addition and for 1-2 minutes after. When all flour is incorporated into the dough, and the dough has cleaned the bottom and sides of the bowl, beat or knead for 2-4 more minutes if by machine, 8-10 minutes by hand. Place dough in a large bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (or greased with oil). Spray top of dough or turn dough in greased bowl so that oil is on top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (80-90 degrees) till doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours. (I boiled a quart of water and put it into a 9x12 pan and placed the pan at the bottom of a turned-off oven. I put the bowl of dough above it and closed the door.) While dough is rising, making fillings and prepare baking pans:

Honey Sticky Buns: In small covered microwaveable bowl or cup, heat 2 Tbsp. butter or Smart Balance for about 30 seconds, or till almost melted. Add 1-1/2 tsp. water and 1/2 tsp. orange flavoring and pour into an 8" cake pan. Add 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/4 cup honey and stir till combined. Set aside. Filling for honey sticky buns: In small bowl, whisk till combined 1/3 cup sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. grated orange zest and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Set aside.

Spiral Sweet Rolls: In work bowl of food processor, mix 1/3 cup orange marmalade, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup walnuts. Pulse till mixture is consistency of a coarse paste. Set aside.

When dough has risen, punch it down, knead it for a minute on a lightly floured surface to get the bubbles out, then cut the dough in half. Roll each half out to a 12" x 12" square on a floured surface. For sticky buns, spray dough with non-stick cooking spray, then sprinkle filling over surface. For spiral sweet rolls, roll out to 12 x 12 square and spread filling over surface. Roll each square up, then cut each in half, then in half again. Cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces, making 12 rolls for each pan. Place sticky bun dough into prepared pan. Place Spiral Sweet Roll dough into pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spray tops of rolls with spray, cover with plastic wrap and let rise again till ready to bake. When you can put two fingers into dough and the indentation remains, the dough is ready to bake. It should take about 1/2 hour - 45 minutes for the second rising, depending on the temperature of your kitchen and other variables. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Let cool in pans for a few minutes, then turn out on cooling racks to continue cooling. Yield: 24 buns. (These freeze beautifully.)