STICKY BISCUITS

Author's note: "As a child, I adored sticky buns. Rather than make yeast dough every time, my mother came up with this quick biscuit version."

FOR THE GLAZE:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup water or fresh orange juice
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest (optional)
FOR THE BISCUITS:
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter or margarine, melted
3/4 cup milk
FOR THE FILLING:
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:
Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set pan aside.

Boil all glaze ingredients 2 minutes in a small heavy saucepan. Spoon into pan and let stand while you prepare biscuits.

TO MAKE THE BISCUITS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl; make a well in center. Combine oil and milk, dump dry ingredients into well and stir only enough to mix.

Roll dough into an 18-by-10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured pastry cloth with a lightly floured stockinet-covered rolling pin.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and allspice.

Sprinkle evenly over biscuit dough. Starting from a short side, roll up dough jelly-roll style so you have a log 18 inches long. Slice into 9 biscuits, 2 inches thick each. Place biscuits cut-side down in three rows in glaze in pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Invert pan at once on a large platter so glaze runs down over biscuits. Serve hot.

Makes 9 biscuits
Adapted from source: American Century Cookbook by Jean Anderson