Stick to It: Cherry Jam Sticky Buns

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RENÉE KOHLMAN

I USED TO BE AFRAID OF YEAST. If I saw it listed as an ingredient in a recipe, I immediately turned the page. It all seemed so fraught with complexities and complications that there’s no way I’d be able to master the art of baking with it. But then I realized that if I wanted to eat pizza and cinnamon buns at home, I’d have to conquer my fear. And so I leaned into the magic and chemistry that is so evident in yeasted baked goods. There are a few principles to keep in mind. Use yeast that hasn’t expired. Check those little best before dates on the packages! And then, be sure that the liquid in which you’re dissolving it isn’t too hot, or too cold. Once you see the yeast bubbled up and frothy, you’re golden. The rest of the work comes from kneading the dough, but that’s where a stand mixer comes in handy.

A basic yeasted dough is full of so many possibilities, but to celebrate spring and Easter, I wanted to create a sticky bun using cherry jam instead of the usual brown sugar and butter gooey caramel. This is the prime time to use up any preserves from your pantry that you put away last summer or fall. If not, look for a good quality jam that is not too runny. I like the Bonne Maman brand best for this.

The jam is spread on top of the rolledout dough, so that when you roll it up and slice it, the jam is spiraled throughout the individual buns. Sticky and soft, these buns are made even better by the sweetened sour cream drizzle. Served on a platter to your favourite people, these will surely be devoured with gusto and glee.

Cherry Jam Sticky Buns with Sour Cream Vanilla Icing

Makes 12 buns

¾ cup plus 2 Tbs (210 mL) whole milk

2¼ tsp active dry yeast

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting counter

2 Tbs granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

¼ cup (60 mL) butter, room temperature

¾ cup (180 mL) cherry jam

½ cup icing sugar

½ cup (125 mL) sour cream

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the milk until it’s body temperature. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir in the yeast. Let the mixture sit until the yeast is dissolved and bubbles up, about 5 minutes. If the yeast doesn’t bubble, you’ll have to start over as your yeast could have expired.

2. Crack one egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork. Add the beaten egg to the yeast mixture, along with the flour, sugar, salt, and butter. Attach a dough hook, and beat on medium speed until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 6-8 minutes. You may need to add a bit more milk if the dough seems too dry, or you may need to add more flour if the dough seems too wet. This is the part of baking where variables like humidity and how you measured your flour come into play. Trust your instincts!

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

4. Lightly dust your counter. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 46 cm (18 inches) long and 30 cm (12 inches) wide. If the dough resists while rolling it, let it rest a little longer. Spread the surface of the dough with the jam, leaving a 12 mm border. Starting from the long side, roll the dough up tightly so you end with a rope. Cut the rope into 12 equal slices.

5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the slices to the baking sheet in relatively even rows. The buns should be touching each other, but not super snug, and the seams should be facing inward so they don’t unravel when baking. If any of the jam has escaped the rolls after cutting, just tuck it into the buns as best as you can. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour, until soft and puffy.

6. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Crack the remaining egg in a small bowl and whisk it with 1 Tbs (15 mL) water. Uncover the buns and gently brush the egg wash over the buns. Bake until the buns are evenly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Let the buns rest for 15 minutes.

7. In a small bowl whisk together the icing sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Use a spoon and drizzle the icing over the warm buns. Serve immediately. If you won’t be serving all of the buns at once, just ice the ones you’ll be eating. The other buns can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then rewarmed and iced whenever you want to eat them.

Note: One could use raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, or blueberry jam instead of cherry jam.

Note: The buns can be assembled the night before. Just let them rise at room temperature for only 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, let the buns rise at room temperature for 1 hour then proceed with baking.

Renée Kohlman is a busy food writer and recipe developer living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her second cookbook, ‘Vegetables: A Love Story” has just been published.