Ontario Apple Sticky Buns

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Pour 1 cup of the flour in a medium bowl, add yeast. Set aside.

2. Step 2

   Heat milk to about 125ºF (50ºC) in a pan over medium-low heat on the stove. Once the desired temperature is reached pour the milk over the flour and yeast in the bowl you set aside.

3. Step 3

   Mix until well combined, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm spot in your kitchen for 30 minutes.

4. Step 4

   Drain all excess moisture from the grated apples by placing them in cheesecloth and squeezing until all the liquid is out. You can also use the same technique with paper towels. Either option works well for removing moisture.

5. Step 5

   Uncover the bowl, add apples, butter, sugar, egg and salt to it and mix by hand until combined. Stir in 3 1/4 cups more of the flour you divided into the bowl. Mix by hand until dough is combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead by hand. Keep the remaining 1/4 cup of flour you divided earlier nearby to add as needed while you are working the dough. Now start to roll the dough over on itself, continue kneading it this way until the dough becomes soft and easy to work with, you can add bits of flour as you go as you feel you need to. It takes about 5 minutes to really work it into a soft, workable dough.

6. Step 6

   Lightly butter a glass bowl and place the dough inside of it. Cover with plastic wrap, and set the bowl in a warm place in your kitchen, allow it to rise until it doubles in size. This should take anywhere from about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

7. Step 7

   Once the dough has doubled in size, remove it from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangular shape, about 16 x 11 in size, or so.

8. Step 8

   Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough with a spatula. Leave a 1/8-inch edge on the long side that is farthest away from you. You’ll need that edge to seal the dough.

9. Step 9

   Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl and spread over top of the butter, as evenly as possible, leaving a 1/8-inch edge. Toss the grated apples (remove all excess moisture first!) over the sugar mixture, leaving a 1/8-inch edge. Spread the crushed pecans over top of the apples, leaving a 1/8-inch edge.

10. Step 10

    Starting on the long edge, roll the dough lengthwise to form the rolls. Tighten slightly as you roll. Once you get to the edge you left, dab it with water to help seal it. Pinch the ends to seal completely. Place the sealed side down. Using a knife, serrated works well, trim each end off so any uneven bits are gone. Discard those pieces. Now cut the rolled dough into 12 equal size pieces. Cover with plastic wrap while you make the caramel.

11. Step 11

    Combine sugar and water in a medium size saucepan and place over medium-high heat until all the sugar dissolves. This should take approximately 3 minutes. Bring the syrup to a boil and allow it to bubble up without stirring it. You can swirl it if needed, but don’t stir it. Keep a close eye on it to watch it for it to start to turn a light amber colour. Watch closely because caramel can burn very quickly. Once the mixture begins to caramelize and turn amber, remove it from the heat and add the cold butter. Add the heavy cream, the mixture will bubble up then smooth out. Stir until it’s smooth, if it doesn’t smooth out quickly you can place the pan over low heat until it does. Add the vanilla extract and salt, mix well. Allow the caramel to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes.

12. Step 12

    Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non-stick spray. Place some pecans in the bottom of each well. Spoon in about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of caramel into the bottom of each well over top of the pecans. Now uncover your dough and place one roll in each well, cut sides down, so they sit on top of the pecans and caramel. Don’t worry, the pan gets inverted later so the caramel and pecans end up on top of the rolls. Cover the rolls with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. Cover the remaining caramel and set aside for the morning.