Recipe: Master Formula: Multipurpose Sweet Dough for Sticky Buns, Cinnamon Buns, Raisin Bread, etc.

MASTER FORMULA: MULTIPURPOSE SWEET DOUGH
"This dough can be used for sticky buns, cinnamon buns, raisin bread, and mock Danish pastries. It is tender but still strong enough to hold up to any application, not as rich as brioche, but sweeter. This sweet dough can also be used as alternative dough for hot cross buns and other tea cakes and sweet rolls. Rich breads take longer to ferment than lean breads because the large amounts of sugar and fat slow down yeast activity. This is a straight-dough formula (direct method), made without a pre-ferment because, as a sweet dough, it is not dependent on strongly fermented dough flavor. It can be made quickly, yet with exceptional results."

COMMENTARIES:
- A touch of baking soda in this formula sweetens the dough a bit while neutralizing the buttermilk. This process creates carbon dioxide, as in quick breads and pancakes.
- Rich doughs like this one often need to be chilled so that the butter firms up enough for easy handling. You can make the dough up to the point of refrigeration in step 3, freeze it, tightly sealed, and save it for another time. Allow 1 hour at room temperature for it to soften enough to be workable.


INGREDIENT - %:
Unbleached all-purposed flour - 100
Granulated sugar - 125
Instant yeast - 2
Salt - 0.75
Baking soda - 0.5
Unsalted butter - 12.5
Buttermilk - 50

Makes 9 to 16 Sticky Buns or Small Rolls, or 1 Loaf

3 1/2 cups (16 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (2 ounces) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (0.33 ounce) instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon (0.12 ounce) salt
1/4 teaspoon (0.08 ounce) baking soda
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
5 teaspoons cinnamon sugar (1 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed into 4 teaspoons granulated sugar)
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Approximate weight of dough: 28 ounces (1 pound 12 ounces)

Combine all the ingredients, except the cinnamon sugar, in the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook or in a mixing bowl.

Mix on slow speed for 1 minute, the on medium speed for about 8 minutes. If mixing by hand, stir the ingredients together till they form a ball and knead for 20 o 12 minutes. The dough should be soft, smooth, and a little bit sticky, and should pass the windowpane test: after kneading for 6 to 8 minutes, or when the dough feels supple and stretchy, pinch off a small piece and stretch it slowly apart, gently pulling and rotating it. You are trying to stretch the dough into a thin, translucent membrane or windowpane. If it tears easily before reaching this state, knead for a few more minutes and try the test again. If the dough has not set up within 15 minutes, it may be too wet or too dry, in which case you will have to add more flour or water, as needed.

Place the dough in a clean bowl, mist it with cooking spray, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise for 45 minutes. Then put it in the refrigerator for 1 hour. It will firm up as it cools.

For sticky or cinnamon buns (see variations for other options), lightly dust the counter with flour and roll out the dough into a square about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon-sugar and roll it up like a jellyroll.

Prepare one or more cake or baking pans (at least 1 inch deep) by greasing them with butter (for cinnamon buns) or by covering them with sticky bun slurry (recipe follows).

Cut the rolled dough into 1-inch-wide pieces and place them in the pans so that either of the spiraled sides is facing up. The pieces should be about 1/2 inch apart, yet fill the pans as full as possible.

Mist the tops with cooking spray, cover loosely with plastic wraps, and set the bun aside to rise at room temperature for about 1 hours, till the dough swirls thicken and the pieces have grown together.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the pans on a sheet pan to catch any overflow. Bake for about 30 minutes, till the tops are a deep brown and the buns are firm to the touch. The sticky bun glaze should caramelize to a golden amber color.

Remove from the oven and wait 5 minutes before inverting sticky buns onto a clean platter. Cinnamon buns do not need to be inverted. Decorate the cinnamon buns with drizzles of sugar glaze (recipe follows); serve sticky buns without the glaze.

VARIATIONS:

FOR RAISIN BREAD:
Add 2 cups raisins during he last 2 minutes of kneading. Allow 60 to 90 minutes for rising, till the dough increased about 1 1/2 times in size. Roll it into a square, as you would for cinnamon buns, and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough like a jellyroll, pinch the ends and seam closed, and place the loaf in a greased 5 by 9-inch load pan. Mist the top with cooking spray, cover the loaf with plastic, and allow it to rise at room temperature till nearly doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes. Bake the loaf in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 40 minutes, till it is golden brown and makes a hollow sound when thwacked on the bottom. The internal temperature should be about 190 degrees F.

Remove from the pan and brush the top with melted butter. Immediately roll the top in a bed of cinnamon sugar or sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar on top. This crust will harden as the loaf cools.

FOR SPICE BUNS:
Add 1/2 teaspoon allspice and 1/2 t4easpoon ground ginger when first mixing the dough, and add 2 cups currants or raisins during the last 2 minutes of kneading. Let rise for 60 to 90 minutes, till doubled in size. Form the dough into 2-ounce rolls, let rise till doubled (60 to 90 minutes) and bake in a preheated 350-degree F. oven for about 20 minutes. For hot cross buns, paint with sugar glaze as directed below. These rolls may also be made with the currants or raisins but without spices.

STICKY AND CINNAMON BUN GLAZES:
Sticky and cinnamon buns have emerges as America's true comfort pastry. Every region in the country claims some version, including Southern pecan rolls, Midwestern cinnamon swirls, and Pennsylvania Dutch raisin-walnut sticky buns. The sweet dough formula provides the basis for any version of these treats. Here are a few hints to make them extra special:

STICKY BUN SLURRY:
Beat together 2 cups (1 pound) softened unsalted butter, 3 cups (1 1/2 pounds) granulated sugar, 2/3 cup (9 ounces) corn syrup or honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon lemon extract until the mixture is very fluffy. Spread a portion of this on the bottom of the baking dish, about 1/4 inch thick. Save any extra for another time; it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator. Sprinkle chopped or whole pecans or walnuts over the surface. Add raisins if you like them, and place the cut and rolled pieces 1/2 inch apart to fill the pan. The slurry will caramelize during baking, turning a beautiful, translucent, golden brown. Wait 5 minutes before you flip the pan and be careful, as the slurry is very hot.

SUGAR GLAZE:
The simplest glaze is made with 1 cup sifted confectioner, sugar and 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons hot water whisked together into a paste that is thick but still can be drizzled on the pastry. You can jazz this up by adding a few drops of lemon, orange, vanilla, or almond extract. You can al so make a thinner sugar glaze that can be brushed on by adding a little corn syrup and a few drops of milk.

Some people like to drizzle the glaze from a fork in streaky little lines. Others prefer to brush it on with a pastry brush to coat the whole piece. Pastry bags are a way to control the design patterns, but few home bakers are comfortable with them. With a little practice, though, you can make designer buns with signature glaze patterns.

Source: Crust and Crumb by Peter Reinhart