Granny’s Maple Crack Sticky Buns

Good any time of year but these Maple Crack Sticky Buns are also great during the holidays and make an excellent gift!

For more about my favorite Maple Crack Topping:

Simple Maple Crack Topping

 

Granny’s Maple Crack Sticky Buns

Unlike other sticky buns in which they are cooked upside down with the toppings in the bottom of the pan, these buns are cooked right side up to caramelize the topping.  (I honestly don’t know why that is but afraid of what the reason could be I’ve never tried doing this particular family recipe in the traditional upside down way to find out and Granny is no longer here to ask).

 

Buns:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 package (1/4 ounce or 2-1/4 teaspoons) rapid acting dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (110 F degrees)
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt

 

Other:

additional flour as needed to roll out dough
additional butter at room temperature for greasing
spray oil, if indicated
foil
parchment paper
waxed paper
13 x 9.5 x 1 inch or larger rimmed baking sheet
sturdy spatula
tongs
pastry cutter, knife, or thread
sheet pan, tray, or cake board for cooling
airtight rectangular storage container(s)
whisk and/or electric hand mixer
rolling pin (helpful but not required)
2 large mixing bowls
measuring cups and utensils

 

Filling:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup pecan bits

 

Maple Crack Topping:

1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup bacon bits (bacon should be cooked but floppy so they do not overcook in the oven where they will finish crisping)

 

Other Toppings:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (half of a stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 to 1/3 cup crispy bacon crumbles

 

 

Make Buns:

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine sugar, yeast, and warm water in a large mixing bowl. Proof until foamy, about 6 to 11 minutes.

Add the milk, sour cream, egg, and melted butter to the mixing bowl of yeast. Whisk to combine.

Generously butter another bowl and set aside.

Add flour and salt to the mixture and stir until well combined.

Using butter coated hands, form the sticky dough into a ball.

Tip the mixing bowl and gently slide the dough ball into the well buttered bowl, cover, and let dough rise in a warm, draft free area until doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

 

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TIPS:

Turn your microwave into a dough proofing oven. Heat a cup of water to boiling. Carefully move cup of boiling hot water to a back corner in the microwave, set your covered dough inside, and close the door. If your household is like mine, you may want to put a sticky note on the microwave door telling others not to open the door nor disturb your dough.

A large clear shower cap makes a great covering for proofing any dough — allowing you to see the dough as well as preventing it from drying out. Because it tends to fit more loosely than cling wrap the dough is less likely to deflate should it rise enough to come in contact with a tightly fitting cover.

Do not allow the dough to over proof (to rise more than double in size). This is like over inflating a balloon until it pops and will result in flattened baked goods. Even if it hasn’t deflated before going into the oven, it is likely that it will deflate while baking.

Some types of dough are to be punched down before baking (with or without a second proofing required before baking). However, if over proofed, they will often fail to rise again properly or while baking will tend to either keep their current height or will deflate.

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Filling:

Cover a 13 x 9.5 x 1 inch rimmed baking sheet smoothly with wide aluminum foil, add a sheet of parchment paper, and generously butter the parchment paper. This helps protect the pan from having stuck on burnt sugar and prevents the buns from becoming glued in place and stuck in case any of the caramelized sugar  or syrup should run down the sides while baking.

To prevent boxed rolls of parchment paper from sliding around or trying to curl up spritz the center and each corner of the foiled pan lightly with spray oil and press the parchment paper in place. This isn’t required if using flat pre-cut sheets sized to fit the pan.

Using an electric hand mixer or whisk, cream the butter until fluffy. Whisk in the brown sugar a little at a time until smooth. Don’t worry about every tiny clump of sugar but any larger clumps should be broken up by pressing it against the side of the bowl with the whisk or a fork then whisk to incorporate. Set aside.

Punch down the risen dough.

Roll it out with a floured rolling pin or press it out with flattened palms on a floured surface from about 15 inches long by 10 inches wide up to no more than about a 20 inches long by 12 inches wide rectangle.
Spread the filling to within 1/4 inch away from the outer edges and sprinkle evenly with the ½ cup of pecan bits.

Roll the longest side of the dough up to form a log and pinch the edge against the side of the roll in several places to prevent it from unrolling. When rolling it up you want to do so tightly — but not so tightly that the filling is forced out.

Using a thread, cut the roll of dough into 12 slices of equal thickness (about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches). If needed, pinch the end of the outer flap of dough to prevent individual buns from unrolling.

Cutting with a knife and sometimes even using a pastry cutter can result in squashed dough. Instead, use thread. Slide the thread under the log to the desired area to be cut, bring the two ends up, cross each one over the top of the log to the opposite side, and pull on the ends so that the string tightens and cuts through. Your slices will keep their nice round shape!

Place the buns evenly spaced about 1 inch apart with the prettiest looking cut side facing up on the prepared pan.

Let rise again, covered,  away from any cool drafts until doubled in size — about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Mix the Maple Crack Topping ingredients (maple syrup and bits of cooked but floppy bacon) together. Set aside.

Brush the tops of each bun with the melted butter.

Sprinkle with equally divided amounts of brown sugar avoiding 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the outer edge.

Spoon a little of the Maple Crack Topping in the center of each bun and gently spread with the back of the spoon starting in the center and swirling/circling around in a spiral while moving outward –leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the outer edge uncovered.

Bake sticky buns on the center oven rack for 25-30 minutes or until they turn golden brown and the maple topping is thick and gooey.

Sprinkle tops with crispy bacon crumbles as soon as buns come out of the oven.

Rest for five minutes on the pan then use a fine serrated knife or pastry cutter to cut between the buns and separate them. Check to be sure to check upon separating that there is no visible raw dough. If necessary, return to the oven and bake for a few more minutes until done.

Because foil would stick to the buns, if tops are browning too quickly or over browning try reducing the oven temperature to 350 F degrees and placing a sheet of foil over the top oven rack above the buns.

Use a sturdy spatula to transfer them to another baking sheet, serving tray, platter, or cake board lined with waxed paper to finish cooling spaced apart. Use tongs (not your fingers) if needed to keep them from falling off of the spatula and to avoid getting a nasty sugar burn during the transfer.

Cool completely and allow the maple topping to set. If some have had sticky topping run down onto their bottom be sure to slide a spatula underneath to loosen occasionally so they do not become stuck as it cools and thickens on bottom.

To store, line the bottom of airtight rectangular container(s) with waxed paper. Be sure containers are deep enough so that the lid will not touch the tops of the sticky buns. Add sticky buns in a single layer. Do not stack.  Store at room temperature.