Although I rent, I spent the day picking up the area around my little townhouse. I re-potted my herbs with some fresh potting soil/compost and brought them inside. I emptied the pots that held my patio tomatoes and peppers. I packed up the pots and containers and put them in our storage area. I stacked the chairs and moved the grill to a more secure area- all in preparation for Sandy.
While doing all of this, I emailed my grandmother for her ‘sticky bun’ recipe. If Sandy is going to kill our power, I’d like something yummy to munch on! The recipe is for a semi-sweet dough that can be made into just about anything; loaves, rolls, buns, (Grammy’s sticky buns) etc. In my head, I wanted an apple-cinnamon roll, so I devised a plan for the filling and set out on a mission. The dough recipe is quite old. It comes from a 4-H cookbook that my grandmother got back in Jr. High!
Apple Cinnamon Buns with Maple Glaze
For the Dough
2 pkgs yeast (I used rapid-rise)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
4.5-5 cups flour
For the Filling
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon
3-4 apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces
For the Frosting
1/4 cup maple syrup (grade B preferably)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. In a small bowl, combine the water and yeast. Stir and let sit.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, scald the milk. Remove from heat and add the butter, sugar, and salt. Whisk until it begins to cool (about 3 minutes). Then whisk in the eggs until combined. Add the yeast/water to the milk mixture. Then add 4 and 1/2 cups of flour. Stir to combine. The dough should form to be soft and barely sticky. If it is too sticky, add more flour.
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and transfer back to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to an approximately 1/4 inch thick rectangle. This will be huge, so cut in half length wise. See the image below.
4. In a small pot over medium heat, melt the 1 stick of butter for the filling (1/2 cup). The butter will start turning amber after a few minutes of simmering. When this happens, remove from heat. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
5. Spread a couple spoonfuls of melted butter over each half of the the rolled-out dough. On top of the butter, sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly, then sprinkle the apple pieces. Roll each half of dough tightly. You will want to roll along the long edge. See the image below.
6. Pinch the edges of each roll to close and slice into rounds every 1.5 inches. Place the rolls loosely into a greased baking pan. If there is any remaining melted butter, drizzle over the top of the rolls (optional). Cover the pan(s) and let rise for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the rolls for 18-20 minutes or until the top starts to brown.
7. While the rolls are cooling, mix together the three ingredients for the glaze. Whisk well until there are no longer any sugar clumps. Drizzle over the top of the rolls.
I did manage to take a break and go visit Ty, who was doing some sugaring stuff (yep- that is what I call it!). It was eerily quiet out, almost like a calm before the storm.
Boomer found a squeaky dog toy that must have flowed miles down river. He was extremely proud of himself and would not drop it… well, until he killed the squeaker.
There are barely any leaves left, which is good as we are predicted to get 75-90 mph winds.
I just had to share this- We got 3 huge butternut squashes this year. Boomer-sized squashes! He wasn’t pleased that I woke him to pose with the squash.
A Quiet Existence 