cinnamon sticky buns.

I used to put sticky buns in a category of their own, and cinnamon buns likewise. It took me a while to realize that sticky buns were actually cinnamon buns on steroids- like a cinnamon bun but with added decadence. The filling of a sticky bun is essentially the same as a cinnamon bun. The only difference is that sticky buns have a layer of caramel at the top, or bottom, depending on how you see it.

That's why I think these buns are aptly named, to a certain extent. Cinnamon buns + Sticky buns= Cinnamon Sticky Buns.

But I do think that the name also needs more tweaking. These should be named superfrickin'deliciousooeygooeycinnamonstickybuns. Only then has justice been done to these buns. These are the gooiest moistest sticky/cinnamon buns I ever had. Have I said that you absolutely positively have to make these asap? Not yet? Then you absolutely positively have to make these asap.

The best thing about these buns? Their filling has no a single gram of butter in it. Nada. Well, the original recipe does, but I wanted to see if I can recreate the gooeyness and stickiness by making a paste with the brown sugar and spices with water. After all, I've seen something similar before. And it worked! The interior of the buns were so indulgent that I barely missed the butter. There was never a time I had to reach for my glass of water to combat dryness of the buns.

I would like the attribute the success of these buns entirely to my ingenious filling but that would be a grave oversight. The gooey mixture the buns were baked in also made them extremely moist. It's not as stubborn and stodgy as caramel toppings I've made before. In fact, it was so unusually loose that I was even slightly worried that I made a mistake in its preparation. But that's a good thing. The loose consistency of the topping ensures that it can run down the buns' sides and coat them wholly instead of remaining in a congealed mass at the top.

Heaven in a bun? Hell yes.

Cinnamon Sticky Buns
makes 12 large ones
recipe adapted from Baking by Flavour

I love my bread dough recipe but if you have your favourite, go ahead and use yours!

Ingredients:

Bread dough recipe

For the filling:
1 cup minus 2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
water
3/4 cup raisins, plumped

For the topping:
1 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 2/3 cup toasted walnuts or pecans

Make the bread dough recipe up till the stage where it is ready for its second rise. Deflate the dough and roll it into a large rectangular shape. Have a 12-cup muffin pan ready.

For the filling: Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl. Add just enough water to form a thick paste but still loose enough to spread easily. Spread the paste evenly on the surface of the rolled out dough. Scatter the raisins on top and roll the dough up. Slice into 12 equal pieces.

For the topping: Cream the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and salt until combined. Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 muffin holes. Divide the toasted nuts amongst the 12 holes too, pressing them into the topping mixture. Place a sliced roll in each muffin hole. Let the dough rise until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 10 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned. Cool for a few minutes before unmolding. Serve immediately.