Since I am a complete Bacon Addict I am willing to try Bacon with just about anything! So, I could not wait to try adding some bacon to these apple pecan sticky buns!! Bacon goes so well in sweet dishes and is amazing when combined with both apples and cheddar cheese.
Since you need to let the dough rise two times, these sticky buns require a bit of time to make but they are actually pretty easy requiring very little actual work. One of the great things about making these sticky buns is the amazing aroma that fills the house while they are baking and it only heightens the anticipation! These apple, bacon and cheddar pecan sticky buns turned out amazingly well! The sweet and savory combo of the apples and caramel when fantastically well with the melted cheddar and bacon!
My largest baking dish was not big enough to fit all of the buns so I placed the extras in ramekins and they turned out nicely!
ingredients:
FOR THE BASIC SWEET YEAST DOUGH:
1/4 cup water, warm
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 cups flour
FOR THE APPLE, BACON, CHEDDAR STICKY BUNS:
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and optionally coarsely chopped
Directions
FOR THE BASIC SWEET YEAST DOUGH:
Mix the water, yeast and sugar into a large bowl and let it sit until it is foamy, about 10 minutes.
Add the sugar, eggs, butter, sour cream, vanilla, salt and 2 cups of flour, mix for 2 minutes at medium or 200 strokes by hand and stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and buttery and not sticky.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
FOR THE APPLE, BACON, CHEDDAR STICKY BUNS:
Punch the dough down, knead for 30 seconds, cover rest for 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 16" by 12" rectangle.
Spread the butter onto the dough leaving 1 inch of one of the narrow edges free.
Sprinkle the mixture of the brown sugar and the cinnamon onto the buttered part of the dough followed by the apple, cheddar and half of the bacon.
Roll the dough into a log starting with the buttered narrow end, pinch the seam to seal and cut into 16 even slices.
Melt the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a pan at low heat, mix in the nuts and remaining bacon and pour the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.
Arrange the buns on top of the mixture, cover in plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Bake in a 350F preheated oven until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.
more pictures: http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/10/apple-bacon-and-cheddar-pecan-sticky.html
