Scribbles & Munch

      ...and I'm going to have just arrived in Hawaii.  From Ohio.  That's a 5 hour time difference.  Add in the bizarre exhaustion that comes with doing nothing but sitting on a plane, and I will be in no state to be baking anything.  So I want to live vicariously through you!
      Your mission - and you'd be insane not to accept it - is to celebrate National Sticky Bun Day* by making the best gosh darn breakfast buns you've ever eaten this weekend!  Now go forth, my comrades, and BAKE!

Are you drooling yet?

      A sticky bun is defined here in the U.S. as a strip of leavened dough, rolled into a tight spiral bun, tucked side-by-side with it's fellows into a pan lined with a sugary, buttery, and often nutty mixture.  When the buns are done baking they are flipped out of the pan upside down, so that the yummy sugary bottom is now the scrumptious top, rather like a tarte tartin.  But there are those who will bake them individually, or right-side-up, or with no nuts, or use a cream cheese glaze, and frankly I love breakfast so much I don't really care.
      If you need inspiration, here are some recipes I can personally recommend.  This first one really does make the best darn sticky rolls I've ever eaten.  The honey in the glaze adds that perfect extra flavor, so don't go with the cheap processed stuff, get some good, raw, wildflower honey.  I also recommend adding 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg in with the cinnamon, just because I love it so much.
      Now for those of you who prefer cinnamon rolls to sticky buns, I hear where you're coming from.  And I am not so much a purist that I would discount a delicious cinnamon roll as a tribute to the coming holiday.  So: here is Alton Brown's recipe for cinnamon rolls, which can be made the night before (always a good thing).  They served my in-laws very well this last Christmas, and I am happy to eat them any time.
      And finally, the last word in cinnamon rolls, ever: this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine is my all-time, hands-down, no-arguments favorite breakfast roll.  They call for Yukon Gold potatoes (which you MUST NOT substitute), and they can't really be made the day before, but they are worth every minute and every penny.  Trust me.
      So, what did you make, and how did it turn out?  Tellmetellmetellme!  I've spent enough time eating pastry and dreaming about Hawaii.  Now I want to spend time in Hawaii dreaming of pastry.



*Not a breakfast bun person?  Well, February 20th is National Cherry Pie Day.  So get crackin'!