Funny Flub-ups! – The Caramel Sticky Buns Escapade

Meet Kirk, my son, who is now 20-years-old, 6 ft. 7 in. (and still growing), wears a size 17 shoe (Yikes, right?), and is heading into his senior year at college with a double major in Economics and Psychology, and a basketball scholarship. Now, this picture was taken about 2 1/2 years ago, and our story takes place about 3 years ahead of that…

My household erupted in hilarity one morning when Kirk decided to bake up some caramel sticky rolls. So sweet of him. Now granted, he was not baking them from scratch, but rather pulling the tube of buns out of the refrigerator that I had purchased from the grocery store the day before.

Kirk was unsure how to open the can of rolls (He was 15…and male…and we all know men don’t read instructions – they already know it all). So, instead of pulling the paper off the can and tapping it gently against the counter to make the tubing pop open, he took a pair of scissors and cut the metal ends off.

And get this…He tried to push the (okay, I’m laughing so hard I can hardly write)…push the rolls out of the tube from one side to the other. HA! Of course, this did not work well. But eventually, the rolls were rescued, baked, and eaten–every scrumpdillyicious bite! We had a great family laugh to begin our long Labor Day weekend.

Being the ever-compassionate blogger that I am, I would not want you to experience such an embarrassing moment. So, here is a recipe for a homemade batch of Caramel Sticky Buns… (No tube required)!

Caramel Sticky Buns

Dough:

• 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoon. salt
• 4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Filling:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Topping:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans

1. Make the dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 tsp. sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Mix on low speed until blended. Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour. Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl to coat with the butter from the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in an entirely warm place). After the dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.

2. Make the filling. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.

3. Roll dough out into a 12″ x 18″ rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into 15 slices.

4. Make the topping. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and sprinkle pecans on top.

5. Place dough slices, flat side down, on top of prepared topping. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for the buns to rise, and refrigerate overnight.

6. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake buns until golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven and immediately (and carefully as not to spill hot topping on your toes!) invert onto a serving tray or baking dish. Let buns cool slightly and serve warm.

…

On another NOTE: I am doing a few Link Parties/Blog Hops this weekend… Check out the fun at:

…

Follow me on

Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, and Google +

…

I would love to hear from you … leave me a Comment.

…

~Lorelai