Almond Honey Sticky Buns

Sticky Buns. Just saying it gets people excited. And I was so excited to hear that this weeks recipe for Tuesdays with Dorie was Sticky Buns! I'd been wanting to make it for sometime, but never seemed to get around it. But, this time, I had a reason to do it!

Making these are fairly easy. Just some patients. It's not near as difficult as people come to think of it. The only part I hate is when it comes to flipping the sticky buns out of the pan while it still hot. Reason doing it is so that it won't stick to the pan; Which is will if you don't get it out soon enough! And I'd burnt myself several time doing it. Every time. I always tell myself to be extra careful, but I never seem to do a good job at it since I burn myself anyways. I'm cursed as a klutz I guess.

Anyways, I've instantly fallen in love with this recipe! I moment I took my first bite, I was just completely speechless. It was just to good to be true. The recipe actually called for Pecans, and, normally, I'm a pecan kind of girl. However, this time, I was really wanting almonds. Which, was kind of odd, but I wanted almonds. And I really liked the almonds in this. It turned out so sticky, gooey, and sooo delicious! This is seriously my new favorite recipe.

Recipe

For the Buns

2 pks. (4 tsp.) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
3 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
12 ounces (3 sticks) butter, room temperature

For the Filling

1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter, room temperature


For the Glaze

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups almonds


1. For the buns, put the yeast, water and milk in the bow of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one.

2. Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can - this will help you, the counter and the kitchen floor from being showered in flour. Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour, then remove the towel, increase the speed to medium-low and mix for a minutes or two, just until the flour is moistened. At this point, you'll have a fairly dry, shaggy mass

3. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar. Increase the miser speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter in 2 tablespoon size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You'll have a dough that is very soft, almost like a batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40 to 60 minutes, depending upon the warmth of your room.

5. Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours. Then leave covered dough in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

6. The next day, butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and one loaf pan (or you can use two 9 x 13 inch baking pans. This dough is that of a Brioche Loave and the recipe makes 2 loaves, but we only need half of the dough for the sticky buns. You can half the recipe, or use the the other half the dough to make a loaf of Brioche or another pan of sticky buns. It's up to your own choosing).

7. For the glaze, bring the brown sugar, butter and honey to a boil over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze unto the buttered pan, evening it out as best as you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle over the almonds.

8. On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using you fingers or a pastry brush, spread 3 tablespoons of butter over the dough. In a small bowl, mix the sugars and cinnamons for the filling. Sprinkle it over the dough, leaving a 1-inch strip base on the sides farthest from you. Starting with the sides nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can.

9. With a chef's knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the roll if they're very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch thick buns. Should make 15 buns. Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them. Lightly cover the pan with wax paper and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, until doubled in volume.

10. When buns have almost fully risen, preheat the over to 375 degrees. Remove the wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes, or until puffed and gorgeously golden; the glaze will be bubbling away merrily. Pull the pan from the over.

11. The sticky buns MUST be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or buttered foil. Be careful - the glaze is super hot and super sticky.