Butterscotch Sticky Buns

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,’ said Piglet, ‘what’s the first thing you say to yourself?’
‘What’s for breakfast?’ said Pooh. ‘What do you say, Piglet?’

‘I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?’ said Piglet.

 Pooh nodded thoughtfully. ‘It’s the same thing,’ he said.”
- A. A. Milne, ‘The House at Pooh Corner’

I made these a few weeks ago. I think Pooh would have approved :)

Butterscotch Sticky Buns
adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, 2011
print recipe

Dough
3/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter—6 tablespoons softened, 2 tablespoons melted
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup pecan halves,  (optional)

Glaze
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons cream
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon  vanilla
1/8 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
In a glass measuring cup, heat the milk in the microwave until warm, 1 minute. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the warm milk and the yeast. Add the granulated sugar and the 6 tablespoons of softened butter and mix at medium speed until the butter is broken up, 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour and salt and mix at low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 2 minutes longer. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more flour. A little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.  Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to a 9-by-24-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar with the cinnamon. Brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Beginning at a long edge, roll up the dough as tightly as possible and pinch the seam. Cut the log into twelve 2-inch pieces and set them in the muffin cups cut side up. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Set the muffin pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the buns are golden brown. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, condensed milk, cream and corn syrup to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, vanilla and baking powder.
Unmold the buns. Pour the glaze over the hot buns and sprinkle with the pecans if using. Let stand until the buns have soaked up some of the glaze and are cool enough to eat, about 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Tips:

• I had to make a few adjustments to the original recipe. This could be due to the fact I live in a very dry climate. Baked good such as rolls and breads tend to bake quicker at our (4400 ft) elevation.  I reduced the amount of flour in the original recipe(it called for mixing in 4 cups of flour).  I felt like 3 1/2 cups, then adding additional flour , a little at a time worked better than adding 4 cups all at once.
• I also decreased the baking time. The original recipe called for 25-30 minutes. We (my resident taste testers) thought the sticky buns were dry, even though they were drenched in glaze. So I reduced the cooking time in the recipe above. 

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