Overnight sticky buns

You can tell I've been feeling better, because I've been baking up a storm - brownies on Wednesday, baguettes on Friday, gougeres and overnight sticky buns on Saturday. Yum! (No wonder we go through bags of flour so fast in this house!) I like this sticky bun recipe because you do all the prep work the night before, so all you have to do is stick them in the oven in the morning and 30-40 minutes later you have yummy sticky buns. Easy peasy!

Overnight sticky buns
Dough:
.25 c warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
.25 c sugar
.75 c milk
4 T butter, softened
3 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
4 c flour
Filling:
.5 c brown sugar
.25 c raisins
1 T cinnamon
4 T butter, melted
Topping:
2/3 c brown sugar
3 T butter
2 T light corn syrup
2 T honey
1.25 c chopped walnuts

1. In a cup, combine the water, yeast, and 1 tsp sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let stand until foamy, about 5 min.

2. In a large bowl, blend the yeast mixture with the milk, butter, .25 c sugar, egg yolks, salt, and 3 c flour. Switch from the mixer paddle to the dough hook; add up to 1 c more of flour, until the dough is smooth and elastic.



3. Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning so the entire ball is greased. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.



4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling by mixing the brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. Reserve the butter. Set aside. (note: I used small slices of baking apples, rather than raisins)

5. Then prepare the topping. Heat all the topping ingredients (except the nuts) over low heat until melted. Grease a 9x13 pan. Pour the topping into the pan, then sprinkle with the nuts.


6. Punch the dough down. Roll into a 12x18 (approx) rectangle. Brush with the reserved butter. Sprinkle with the filling mixture (and some nuts, if desired). Start with the long side and roll into a log. Cut into approximately 20 pieces.


7. Place the slices in the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight, 12-15 hours.



8. The next morning, preheat the oven to 375. Bake until golden, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a serving tray. Serve warm.


Enjoy!

Note: leftovers can be wrapped in foil and frozen. Reheat, still wrapped, at 350 for 15-20 min.