Toffee Apple Sticky Buns

👩‍🌾yields 12 fist-sized buns, ~1.50 USD each

✅ what you’ll need to have:

⏳ time

by category

• prep: 60 minutes — 10 right away, 45 after first rise, and another few after baking
• proof: 5 hours — 4 early on and 1 more awhile later
• bake: 45 minutes
• rest: 5 minutes

overview

1. prep 10min, create dough – steps 1–4
2. proof 4hr – step 5 (and 6–7 if you consolidate those 10min of prep while finishing this rise)
3. optional ≤3day refrigeration – step 8
4. prep 45min, rolling and filling dough – steps 6–7 and 9–19
5. proof 1hr – step 20
6. bake 45min – step 21
7. rest 5min – step 22
8. flip, scrape, and serve – steps 23–24

• 🧊 if freezing: additional
  • passive 2hr
  • active 2min

🧾 ingredients

⇓ volume in US cups and spoons; weight in grams

• 4c; 480g all purpose flour, separated for steps 1 and 9
• 2tsp table salt (¹/₄tsp less if using all salted butter)
• 2tsp; 7g (one packet) dry yeast, either active or instant since recipe gives long ferment time
• 1c any milk, including vegan
• ¹/₂c; 114g unsalted butter
• ¹/₄c granulated sugar (replaceable with honey, maple syrup, or similar sweetener/s)
• 2 large beaten eggs
• 1 sweet apple
• 1 sour apple
• ¹/₂c; 80g raisins
• 1tsp orange zest (this is like a bonus – when I have some I use it; when I don’t, no worries)
• 2tbs warm pie spice (or 1tbs cinnamon, 1tsp nutmeg, ¹/₂tsp each allspice, cardamom, cloves, and ginger – all ground)
• 1c; 228g salted butter (or un— and ¹/₂tsp table salt, which balances all the flavors)
• 1c; 192g granulated sugar
• 1c; 112g pecan pieces
• ¹/₂c; 56g walnut pieces

🔌 equipment

• large mixing bowl with lid (instead of lid, can use foil or cling film and kitchen towel)
• spoonula
• cutting board
• paring knife
• medium mixing bowl
• quart saucepot or microwave-safe bowl and corresponding heat source (see steps 2 & 12)
• 2’×3′ clean counter surface
• 9″×13″×2+” deep baking dish
• oven mitt
• cooling rack
• serving platter slightly larger than, and preferably similarly shaped to, baking dish
• if storing, airtight container
• 🧊 if freezing,
  • sturdy platform
  • label (I use permanent marker and Kraft tape)

📄 what you’ll need to do:

1. Put 3¹/₂c flour into large mixing bowl and, ON OPPOSITE EDGES FROM EACH OTHER, pour salt and yeast over top. Stir yeast half then combine the rest so the mixture’s all homogenous ⚠️Direct contact with salt kills yeast, and therefor your chances at sticky buns’ famous fluffiness
2. Cook milk, unsalted butter, and honey until melted and warm, not hot. On stove/hotplate: stir a few minutes over medium heat. In microwave: stir at 30 second intervals about a minute and a half. If mixture gets hot, allow to cool a few minutes until only warm (stirring will speed this up)
3. Mix eggs into milk mixture while it’s still warm BUT NOT HOT ⚠️blending eggs into hot liquid will quickly cook them, leading to unpleasant scrambled egg bits in your treats
4. Stir warm milk/egg mixture into flour mixture until fully incorporated (~3min)
5. Cover bowl and leave somewhere warm to ferment for four hours. If your room is cold, I recommend making a warm area for it by putting the bowl in your oven with a dish of hot water. Pro tip: spend last 10min of this proof on next two steps
6. Chop apples into raisin-size pieces
7. Pour (or create) spice blend in medium mixing bowl then add fruit and stir until each piece is coated
8. Optional: refrigerate both bowls up to three days
9. Powder clean counter surface, to just within 2’×3′, with ¹/₂c flour
10. Tap a palm in the flour and use that hand to transfer dough out of bowl and onto counter
11. Keeping hands floured, use them to stretch and press dough into a rectangle about, or a little over, 12″×24″ – if a section tears, rip a piece from a thicker part and use it to patch the hole
12. Melt salted butter and sugar together one of the following two ways:
    • Microwave: put both in bowl and stir after 30 second bursts until homogenous (~2min)
    • stove/hotplate: melt butter on med-low until there’s a layer coating the bottom of the pan then add sugar and stir frequently until mostly dissolved (~5min)
13. Spread half of that sticky toffee goo in baking pan and cover dough with the rest
14. Evenly sprinkle nuts over toffee layer in pan
15. Use hands to strew fruit mixture across dough, leaving a 1″ border on one long edge
16. Starting with the long side of dough that has filling right up to edge (opposite the side with 1″ border), carefully roll into itself maintaining uniform thickness throughout growing log as you go – remember to keep hands floured and use same trick for repairing rips as before
17. Pat in exposed ends and gently maneuver length of pipe shape into cylinder
18. Remove a very thin carve-off from each side (cook 15min in toaster oven for chef bonus) and cut what remains into 12 discs, ~2″ wide – easiest way to eyeball them all close enough to the same size:
    • begin with a line in the center so you end with two tubes
    • slice each half in half so you have four sections
    • segment each quarter into three pieces
19. Space out discs in pan, 3×4, spirals down
20. Provide same warm conditions as earlier, but this time only until they barely touch each others’ puffiness (~1hr); preheat oven to 350°F before rising’s done so dough and machine are ready for each other at the same time
21. Bake until the surface of the batch is golden brown and fully cooked but still spongey (~45min)
22. Let pan rest on cooling rack exactly 5min – set alarm! ⚠️less time and the hot liquid won’t gel well onto treats; more and it’ll harden itself to pan instead of transferring smoothly in next step
23. Place platter upside down on top of sticky spirals and CaReFuLLy fLiP the whole setup
24. Lift baking dish, revealing the glory, and scrape any residual toffee/nuts onto tray
25. Best eaten immediately, but feel free to store airtight in fridge or on counter up to three days. While very much delicious cold or room temp, most will prefer to reheat. If that’s you, microwave next to a mug of water until hot (~1min) 🎓Allows steam to penetrate all the way through, not just dry heat, so pastry stays soft

🧊 FREEZE!

1. place all leftovers on pan with space around each
2. freeze until frozen (~2hr)
3. label their container:
   • Toffee Apple Sticky Buns
   • best by [today plus three months]
   • mic. next to mug of water 1min
4. pile in, return to freezer, and admire yourself
5. enjoy having made-ahead snacks, Hero!

✨gratitude to {Gemma} for inspiration✨