For Valentine's Day, what's better than sweets for your sweet?
I've made heart-shaped cinnamon and pecan buns for the occasion.
Please enjoy!
Sweet Buns
Dough:
¾ cup skim milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 package yeast
1 TB sugar
½ cup sugar
6 TB unsalted butter, melted
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Filling:
½ cup pecans
1 TB butter
2 TB dark brown sugar
2 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Unsalted butter, softened
Finish:
1 egg, beaten with one teaspoon water
Make the dough:
In a large bowl, heat milk and cream in microwave until slightly warm. Sprinkle yeast and 1 TB of sugar on top, stir the mixture, and let sit about 10 minutes until foamy and “proofed.” The yeast is hungry and has to “prove” it’s alive by eating the sugar and emitting carbon dioxide and alcohol by-products. If the yeast doesn’t get bubbly, throw it out and start over with a new packet of yeast.
Add the sugar, butter, flour, salt, vanilla, and egg. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until dough is soft and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled – about 3 hours.
Make the filling:
Heat a small pan over medium low heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter and add the pecans. Toast lightly, about 3-4 minutes, until fragrant. Remove nuts from pan and let cool. Chop nuts and combine with sugars and cinnamon.
Assembly:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
After dough has risen, punch down and divide and roll into 12 balls. Cover with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll balls out into 6-inch diameter circles. Slather dough circle with softened butter and sprinkle with some of the filling. Roll each circle into a log and pinch ends together, forming a teardrop shaped loop. With scissors, carefully cut the loop in half widthwise, leaving the pinched tip intact. Open the two halves to form a heart and transfer to baking sheets. Cover buns with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour.
Heat oven to 350°. Gently brush buns with egg wash. Bake about 30 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
For breakfast, nuke buns until warm and serve with maple syrup (Use the real stuff.), if desired.
Dough:
¾ cup skim milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 package yeast
1 TB sugar
½ cup sugar
6 TB unsalted butter, melted
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
Filling:
½ cup pecans
1 TB butter
2 TB dark brown sugar
2 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Unsalted butter, softened
Finish:
1 egg, beaten with one teaspoon water
Make the dough:
In a large bowl, heat milk and cream in microwave until slightly warm. Sprinkle yeast and 1 TB of sugar on top, stir the mixture, and let sit about 10 minutes until foamy and “proofed.” The yeast is hungry and has to “prove” it’s alive by eating the sugar and emitting carbon dioxide and alcohol by-products. If the yeast doesn’t get bubbly, throw it out and start over with a new packet of yeast.
Add the sugar, butter, flour, salt, vanilla, and egg. Knead for about 10 minutes, or until dough is soft and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled – about 3 hours.
Make the filling:
Heat a small pan over medium low heat. Melt a tablespoon of butter and add the pecans. Toast lightly, about 3-4 minutes, until fragrant. Remove nuts from pan and let cool. Chop nuts and combine with sugars and cinnamon.
Assembly:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
After dough has risen, punch down and divide and roll into 12 balls. Cover with plastic and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll balls out into 6-inch diameter circles. Slather dough circle with softened butter and sprinkle with some of the filling. Roll each circle into a log and pinch ends together, forming a teardrop shaped loop. With scissors, carefully cut the loop in half widthwise, leaving the pinched tip intact. Open the two halves to form a heart and transfer to baking sheets. Cover buns with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour.
Heat oven to 350°. Gently brush buns with egg wash. Bake about 30 minutes, turning halfway, until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
For breakfast, nuke buns until warm and serve with maple syrup (Use the real stuff.), if desired.
Here are the step-by-steps:
Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm milk and give it a stir.
Let it "proof." That means the yeast "proves" it's alive by producing carbon dioxide and alcohol and other byproducts. In other words, the mixture gets all poofy and foamy.
Add in the rest of the ingredients.
Process away...
...until you have a nice soft and elastic dough ball.
Place in a greased bowl, cover, ...
...and let rise.
Sprinkle a little flour on top and...
... punch it down.
Divide and roll into twelve little balls and cover with plastic.
Roll each ball out into a 6-inch diameter circle.
Slather the surface with unsalted butter.
Thusly.
Which, of course, is what I did.
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