Cinnamon Apple Sticky Buns - Breakfast Baking

Servings: 12 sticky buns

Ingredients:
Dough
3 ¼ to 3 ¾ cups (430-500 g) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
1 pkg (2 ¼ tsp/11 mL) Quick rise (instant) yeast
½ tsp (2 mL) salt
½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
½ tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
1 cup (250 mL) 1% or 2% milk, heated to just above body temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Filling
½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (210 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) maple syrup
1 tbsp (15 mL) ground cinnamon
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) clove
¼ tsp (1 mL) allspice
2 cups (500 mL) peeled and finely diced apple

Streusel Topping
½ cup (40 g) rolled oats
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (100 g) packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
pinch salt
5 tbsp (75 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Directions:
1. For the dough, stir 3 cups (400 g) of the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon. If using traditional yeast (not instant), then dissolve the yeast in warm milk for about 5 minutes before adding the dry ingredients and following the recipe as directed.

2. Add the milk and eggs and mix just until the dough comes together. Add the butter and continue to mix (the dough will be soft). Add the remaining flour, as needed while kneading (by hand or on low speed) until the dough feels elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.

3. For the filling, beat the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice together until smooth. Spread half of this onto the bottom of a greased 9-x-13-inch (23-x-33 cm) baking pan.

4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 18-x-10-inches (45-x-30 cm) and spread the remaining filling evenly overtop. Sprinkle the diced apples and roll the dough up from the long side. Cut the dough into 12 pieces and place these into the prepared pan, cover and allow to rise for an hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). For the streusel toping, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Work in the butter with a spoon until evenly incorporated (the mixture will be crumbly). Sprinkle this over the risen buns and then bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a rich golden brown. Allow the sticky buns to cool for at least 20 minutes before inverting the whole pan to turn out, or cutting the sticky buns out of the pan one-at-a-time.

The sticky buns are best enjoyed the day they are baked, but can be prepared and placed in the pan and chilled overnight, or frozen and then thawed in the fridge before bringing up to room temperature and baking.