Homemade Sticky Buns

Homemade Sticky Buns
Dorcas Annette Walker

Ever since the first time I made up a batch of my Homemade Sticky Buns when my father-in-law came for a visit, he always requested them afterwards. My house seemed to shrink every time the Walker clan arrived. First you’d hear a vehicle honking as soon as it turned into our driveway and next my father-in-law sergeant’s booming voice announcing the obvious fact that they were there. Even the entire neighborhood stood at attention during his visits. After retiring from the military my father-in-law still “barked” his requests. Being brought up in a quiet household it was years before I quit jumping at each roar of my father-in-law’s voice next to my ear whenever we conversed. The walls would vibrate with noise and confusion as each Walker shouted at the top of their lungs all talking at the same time.

I’d find refuge in my kitchen cooking and baking nonstop to satisfy all the hungry mouths. My father-in-law viewed each dish or dessert that I prepared with exclamations of delight like a starved man. So I figured it was my duty as part of the Walker family to try and fill up my father-in-law while he resided under my roof. Once the prayer had been said mealtimes quickly resembled a military attack as hands would grab the food nearest to them in a regular blitz motion despite my feeble efforts to pass each dish around the table. When everyone finally settled down to their own individual plates to commence eating my husband would ask me why I didn’t have anything on my plate. My father-in-law would look over in my direction in amazement and retort, “What’s the problem? All she has to do is ask!” I never became skilled at aggressively battling for food when my in-law’s were around. Instead I was always happy to settle for anything left after the first major skirmish.

My finger-licking Homemade Sticky Buns- what some call cinnamon rolls -will bring a smile of pleasure to your household. Nuts, raisins, or dried fruit can be added as well. Instead of making up a batch of rolls from scratch, I started using frozen bread dough. In a pinch you can also use frozen rolls or store bought frosting as well. Preparation time for my Homemade Sticky Buns is around three hours and this recipe makes one dozen rolls.

Homemade Sticky Buns

1 frozen bread roll
1 tb margarine
½ c brown sugar
cinnamon

Let the frozen dough thaw for one hour. Then roll out the dough thin in a rectangular shape. Spread margarine, layer the brown sugar, and then sprinkle on cinnamon. Roll up lengthwise and cut into one inch pieces with a sharp knife. Place each spiral in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, cover with a paper towel, and let rise for two hours until doubled in size. Bake at 350º for fifteen minutes until lightly browned.

Frost with:

1 c powdered sugar
1 tb shortening
2 tb milk
½ tsp vanilla extract

Beat all the ingredients with a Wisk until smooth and spread over the sticky buns. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon!

Weekly tip: To help bread or rolls rise you can turn on your oven at the lowest setting for a couple of minutes with a pan of hot water, set them in sunlight or a warm spot, or use a heating pad underneath turned on medium!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcaswalker@twlakes.net. For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com