Saturday, January 12, 2013

Pull-Apart Sticky Buns

from Carolyn Sims


Scant ½ of a large pkg Vanilla COOK & SERVE Pudding – NOT instant! 
     (My sister uses butterscotch pudding instead of vanilla, but I don’t like the butterscotch flavor that it adds.)
¾ cup butter (needs to be real butter not margarine)
¾ cup brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste - I use quite a bit.  I also sprinkled a little cinnamon in the butter/sugar mixture I think.  
1 – 1 ½ cup roughly chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
21-24 frozen dough rolls – Rhoades is my preferred brand
 
(I usually make 2 at one time so I use the entire pudding mix and double everything else)
 
1.     Remove frozen rolls from freezer and let sit on the counter while prepping the other parts.  Rolls will soften slightly and make it possible to cut in half (with kitchen shears or with a large knife)
 
2.    Spray 1 Bundt pan very well with pam.
 
3.    Sprinkle a small amount of the powdered pudding in the bottom of the Bundt pan.  And then sprinkle in a little cinnamon.  Cut the frozen rolls in half with kitchen scissors (not absolutely necessary but I like the way the pieces pull apart better if they are cut in half.
 
4.    Sprinkle about 1/3 of the nuts in the bottom of the Bundt pan.
 
5.    Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add the brown sugar & stir until dissolved.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 1 minute until the mixture comes together and the butter is not separated out.  Remove from heat.
 
6.    Place about half of the roll pieces in the pan.  Sprinkle a bit more of the powdered pudding mix over the rolls – some cinnamon, and a few of the nuts.
 
7.    Place remaining roll pieces in the pan.  Sprinkle with remaining pudding powder, some more cinnamon and nuts.  Gently pour the brown sugar/butter mixture over the rolls.  The pan will not look very full at all (less than ½).  Trust me – you don’t want to put more than 21-24 rolls in or they will overflow like some of mine did yesterday because the Bundt pans that I borrowed were smaller ones than I was used to.
 
8.    Spray a piece of Saran wrap liberally with Pam.  Loosely cover Bundt pan with Saran Wrap.  Let rise for several hours. 
 
9.    Bake at 350 for about 25 – 30 minutes.  Lay a piece of foil loosely over the top for the first 20 minutes so the tops of the rolls don’t get too dark.  It is a little difficult to tell when they are done.  Don’t take them out too early or the bread will still be doughy.  If anything, I err on the side of overcooking them but don’t let them get too dark – no one wants to eat burned rolls.
 
10.  When removed from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes, then turn onto a platter large enough to catch any caramel sauce runoff.  Gently lift the edge of the Bundt pan with a fork and let the steam escape.  Hold at an angle (with the edge maybe ½ - 1” off the plate) for 60 seconds to let the bread loosen from the pan and the sauce congeal and release from the pan.  Completely remove the Bundt pan.  It is too hot to serve immediately – wait 5-10 minutes.  It is best if served within an hour so it doesn’t get completely cold.
 
This works well to make about midnight and then bake first thing in the morning.  Yesterday I made them at 1pm and then began baking at 5:30pm.  They were rising in a warm kitchen.  If you do them at midnight, the kitchen needs to be pretty cold or they will over-rise by morning.  If they do puff up too much, just push the dough back down a little and it always turns out just fine.  They seem to be very forgiving and adaptable for your personal taste.
For the orange rolls I used white sugar and left out the cinnamon.  Instead I used a rasp and grated a little orange rind into the pan and on top of the rolls.  I also added a little orange juice to the boiled mixture.  However, I added too much (3/4 cup) and it turned out too thin.  I could have boiled the sugar butter mixture longer and it would have thickened up.  I still like pecans with the orange – but they are optional.
  

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