Georgia Pecan Buns Recipes

GEORGIA PECAN BREAD

Steps:

• Position oven rack 1/3 up from the bottom of the oven; preheat oven to 350°.
• Butter an 8-inch loaf pan; dust the pan with fine, dry breadcrumbs; tap to shake out excess crumbs over a piece of paper; set aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
• In a big bowl, beat the egg to mix; mix in the buttermilk, butter, and the sugar.
• Add in the dry ingredients; stir or beat only to mix; stir in the nuts.
• Turn mixture into prepared pan; smooth the top.
• Bake 1 hour and 5-10 minutes.
• Cover with a rack and turn the pan and rack over, remove from the pan and then very carefully turn the loaf right side up to cool.
• Wrap the cooled loaf and refrigerate overnight; if you slice it immediately, as soon as it has cooled, use a serrated knife.

PECAN STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• Place the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Allow it to stand for about 3 minutes.
• Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the warm water and the yeast mixture and stir with your fingers to moisten the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself until it gathers into a shaggy mass.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes. This is a soft, moist dough. If the dough seems too stiff and hard to knead, add extra warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a nice malleable dough. Gently shape the dough into a loose ball, cover it with plastic, and let it rest on the table for 20 minutes. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
• Gently knead the dough on the lightly floured surface for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until it becomes smooth, supple, and elastic but not too firm. The texture of the dough should be soft but springy. Shape the dough into a loose ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat the top with oil. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees F) until it has doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising; in a small saucepan, heat the 9 tablespoons butter and the dark brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar is completely moistened (it won't be dissolved), then whisk until the mixture looks silky and a little lighter in color. Use 1 tablespoon softened butter to grease the sides of a 9-inch square pan, then pour in the caramel, tilting the pan slightly so the mixture spreads evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the warm caramel and press them down slightly. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool the caramel; be the pan's on a level surface. Put the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Set aside.
• When the dough has doubled, gently pour it out of the bowl onto the floured work surface. Flatten the dough and stretch it with your fingers to form a 13 by 10-inch rectangle, with a longside facing you. Work gently so you don't tear the dough surface. The dough should stretch easily at this point, but if it resists, let it rest for 5 minutes and resume stretching. Check to be sure the dough isn't sticking to the work surface; flour the table again, if necessary.
• Spread 3 tablespoons of the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch strip unbuttered along the top edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture generously and evenly over the butter, again leaving the top 1/2-inch of the rectangle bare. Starting with the bottom edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion into a long log. If the dough sticks to the table as you're rolling, use a dough scraper to loosen it gently. Pinch gently but firmly along the seam to seal it. If necessary, gently shape the roll so it is a nice uniform log.
• Take the caramel-lined pan out of the refrigerator. Cut the log of dough into 9 equal pieces. (It's easiest to mark the roll first to show where you're going to make the cuts--a slight indentation with the knife edge will do--then use a sharp serrated knife to cut completely through the dough.) Lay the pieces cut side down on top of the caramel. Don't worry if it's a tight fit. Let rise, uncovered, at room temperature until the dough has almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. The rolls should fill the pan and extend 1/2 to 3/4-inch above it. In the meantime, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the pan of sticky buns on a foil-lined baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until the tops of the buns are golden brown and crusty. It's important to bake the buns long enough so the dough is cooked all the way through and the caramel topping develops properly. Set the pan of buns on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then quickly but carefully turn the pan upside-down and release the sticky buns onto a large flat heatproof plate. Immediately scrape out any hot caramel remaining in the bottom of the pan and spread it on the tops of the buns, filling in any bare spots. Let them cool until just warm before serving. (Clean the pan by soaking it in very hot water to dissolve the caramel.) Store any leftovers covered in plastic wrap at room temperature.

GEORGIA PECAN BUNS

Steps:

• 1. Warm milk up to 30 seconds in microwave, just until warm. Combine milk, yeast and milk in a stand mixer until foamy. About 5 minutes. You'll need your dough hook for this.
• 2. Add eggs, flour and salt to the bowl and mix until a sticky dough forms. Beat in 2 tablespoons soft butter at a time, mixing well between each addition. Once dough is incorporated well, knead dough with hands for about 10 minutes.
• 3. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased (PAM spray) bowl. Cover with plastic and store in the fridge over night or for at lease 8 hours. It will double in size!
• 4. Next you will roll dough onto a floured surface. Rolling it into a 12x16 rectangle.
• 5. Spread the softened butter onto dough stopping just short of the edge of the short side. At this point you can combine your filling ingredients together and spread the on top of the butter.
• 6. Roll the dough starting from the short edge, tightly into a spiral, making sure the edge sticks to seal the edge.
• 7. Cut entire roll with a serrated knife in half. Then cut the two halves in half and each once again. You will have eight rolls.
• 8. Place the spirals into a greased 9x13 pan. Cover with plastic and sit in warm location, allowing to rise for 30-90 minutes. They will be puffy and touching when ready.
• 9. Bake the rolls 20-25 minutes. Once removing from the oven let cool for 5 minutes before frosting.
• 10. Using a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and butter together. Add half the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Blending well. Add vanilla, remaining sugar and another tablespoon milk. Blending well. You can adjust to your desired consistency by adding more milk if you like.

CINNAMON PECAN BUNS

Steps:

• These sweet, buttery and nutty treats are delicious with a cup of tea or coffee. Normally made with a yeast-risen dough, the buns in this recipe are made using a slightly faster method.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/ 230 degrees C /Gas mark 8, and butter and flour the cake tin.
• For the filling: Cream the butter and cinnamon together in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft. Add the brown sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy and then stir in the chopped toasted pecans. Set aside (not in the refrigerator).
• For the dough: Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl.
• Add the caster sugar, then add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it in until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Whisk the beaten egg and milk together in a separate bowl, then make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in most of the liquid (all but 2 fluid ounces/60 ml). Using one hand with your fingers outstretched like a claw, move your hand around in one direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise) until the dough comes together. Cook's Note: You may need to add the rest of the milk as the dough should be soft and a little sticky.
• To make the buns: Tip the dough out onto a floured work surface and dust with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 14 by 10- inches/35 by 25 cm rectangle and about 3/4-inch/2 cm thick.
• Spread the filling all over the rectangle, then with the widest end facing you, roll up the dough away from you so that it resembles a Swiss roll. Cut the 'log' 11 times to make 12 slices, each 1 1/4-inches/3 cm thick. Place the pieces cut-side facing up, with a tiny bit of space between each 'swirl', in the prepared cake tin.
• Bake in the oven 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F/200 degrees C/Gas mark 6 and cook for a further 25 to 35 minutes or until risen, golden brown and cooked in the centre. They should have joined together to make a lovely cluster of buns.
• Allow the buns to stand in the tin for 2 to 3 minutes before carefully turning out and cooling on a wire rack. When cool, transfer to a serving plate or cake stand.
• For the icing: Sift the icing sugar (confectioners') into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon boiling water and mix well, adding another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon boiling water, if necessary, until the icing is soft, but not too runny. Drizzle the icing over the buns.
• To serve: Break each bun off with your hand or cut into slices.