the BEST breakfast of the year is always christmas morning because of my mother’s sticky buns. they are coils of cinnamon deliciousness with a sticky, brown sugar topping baked on. she makes two pans each year - one with pecans and one without (my nephew has nut allergies.) i prefer the ones with pecans, but i would NEVER turn down a plain one. we think about and anticipate the sticky buns all year long… rehashing how many each of us ate the year before and whether someone selfishly snuck a third before everyone else had seconds. when the pans are cooling we circle round them like sharks, peeking under the tin foil covers and trying to count how many there are (it always varies depending on the girth of the buns) - my mother protectively swatting us away and shooing us out of the kitchen.

(my mother begins her sticky bun apprenticeship with her aunt helen circa 1946)

the buns are pretty labor intensive and quite a project, so she only makes them once a year. we all know to give her a wide berth during the process because a lot is at stake. there’s the mixing of the dough and then the rising when the dough is put in the big blue ceramic bowl and covered with a tea towel. the rising might take place in a sun beam or by the heating vent or in the half opened oven - it all depends on the weather - my mother makes the executive decision the day of… we are NOT allowed to lift the towel or move the bowl (even if it’s on the floor - GOD FORBID you accidentally kick it) or disturb the dough. once the rising is complete, there is the kneading. this might be the trickiest step… it requires a light, yet firm hand. typically, i take my children out of the house entirely when the kneading is going on, it is that crucial that my mother’s temperament remains calm and even. one year my parents got into an argument the morning of the buns and my mother kneaded the crap out of them. tragically, they came out like hard little rocks. that was a tough christmas and now it is understood that all family disputes are put on hold until after the buns are safely out of the oven.

i am including the recipe, but don’t get your hopes up… i tried to make them one year in amsterdam when we couldn’t come home for christmas and they came out like the rocks of the the christmas that shall not be named. i ate the whole pan anyway because i was homesick (the flavor was right but they were like little round, crunchy biscottis) and no one else was willing to risk their teeth - i don’t think theo even had any yet. (he DID get to meet santa at the hard rock cafe, which is where santa hangs in amsterdam as he takes a back seat to the tall, slender, much chicer sinter klaas who sails into port on his yacht from spain with his white horse and his controversial helpers - who i won’t get into - and rides in a grand parade through the city. the parade is your only chance to see sint live - there is only one of him and he does not stand outside department stores shaking a bell or let you sit on his lap in a mall photo booth.)

(theo’s first christmas in amsterdam, hard rock cafe)

(the elegant sinter klaas)

since then, i’ve made a concerted effort to come home for christmas and my mother’s sticky buns.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! x0x

CHRISTMAS STICKY BUNS

DOUGH

1 packet active dry yeast

7/8 to 1 1/8 C lukewarm water

3 C all purpose flour

6 T unsalted butter (at room temperature)

3 T sugar

1 1/4 t salt

1/4 C nonfat dry milk

1/2 C instant mashed potato flakes

GLAZE

1/2 C light corn syrup

3 T butter, melted

1 C brown sugar, firmly packed

1 C whole pecans

CINNAMON FILLING

1/2 C white sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 T flour

DOUGH: dissolve the yeast with a pinch of sugar in 2 T lukewarm water. let sit for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded.

combine the yeast with the remainder of the dough ingredients. mix and knead by hand until the dough is smooth. place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a dish towel and leave the dough to rise until it has doubled in size.

lightly grease two 9” round cake pans. 

GLAZE: whisk together syrup and melted butter. divide the glaze evenly between the two pans. sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans on the glaze.

when the dough has risen, transfer it to a lightly greased mat and roll it into a 16 x 12” rectangle.

FILLING: mix the sugar, cinnamon and flour together. sprinkle filling evenly over the dough, leaving an uncovered 1” strip along one of the long sides of the rectangle. starting with the filling covered edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. 

use a serrated knife to cut the log into about 16 slices. place half of the buns in each pan, spaced out. cover the buns again and let them rise for 60-90 minutes until they touch one another.

(pre-rising buns with pecans)

while the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. bake the buns uncovered for 15 minutes. tent the buns with tin foil and bake for another 10 minutes. turn them out onto parchment paper to cool and serve warm.

(plain buns right out of the oven)

for another christmas recipe click here