I know there was a lot of chat about butter. Was it the ingredient that made these or put them over the top? How did yours turn out?
I know there was a lot of chat about butter. Was it the ingredient that made these or put them over the top? How did yours turn out?
Tuesdays with Dorie 
I just couldn’t really try and enjoy because it was just too much butter. Prefer normal cinnamon rolls.
I did not like the sticky part of it (maybe because I’m Swiss, grew up with cheese Fondue and Raclette,… and really love (almost) anything sweet but unfortunately not that gooey sticky part! – so sorry!)
Butter! Oh I gave him a good cut (I could replace more than 1/2 of the total amount) and made new mixtures to replace it. Oh…I’m slowly becoming a butter Terminator!
I made the recipe as it read. My whole family loved it! I With this much butter I will rarely make this though :)
I would much prefer to eat a good quality butter laden treat like this once in a while than a lesser version ever. We really enjoyed these!
Amen! Quality makes the differene.
Ditto that!
I followed the recipe to the last word.. i agree the butter felt excessive but decided since I wasnt going to be making these too often.. I might as well go the whole way.. I really enjoyed them…and so did my family!!
I did add orange zest to my filling and replaced the pecans with walnuts since you dont get pecans in India!!
Nice call on the orange zest. I’m thinking I’ll make these again around the holidays with orange zest, nutmeg and dried cranberries.
Skeptical at first, I am head over heels in love with this recipe. It was a lot of butter … but then that buttery taste is what blends so well with the light caramel and makes these a real treat! I plan to keep a log in my freezer so that I can prepare in the evening, thaw over-night and serve occasionally to guests at breakfast. From freezer to oven took 6 hours and they thawed and rose perfectly!
I’m sorry I didn’t participate this week! I was under the weather last week, and honestly, just couldn’t prepare this treat for my family. I make cinnamon rolls frequently, and this version just screamed over-the-top with butter. One day perhaps I’ll try them.
When the “Baking with Julia” series first aired (decades ago), I remember the country being in the midst of the low-fat craze. Although I admired Nancy Silverton, I just couldn’t bring myself to make these sticky buns back then because of all the butter. Nowadays I spend much of my free time baking. My husband and I try to exercise portion control and to adhere to Julia’s philosophy about everything in moderation. I made these buns yesterday, and the only change I made to the recipe was to toast the pecans, something I always do now when baking. We both thought they were delicious. It is quite a lot of butter, and I probably won’t make them very often, but I’m very glad I finally made the recipe.
When my older son (who at best will condescend to eating baked good/pastries and at worst flat out refuse to!) says, “Mom, can we have these on Christmas morning instead of what we usually have?”, I know it’s a winner! Too much butter? Maybe for every day, but what a lovely treat (it was Mother’s Day, after all).
Didn’t make these. Will do so when I purchase a new mixer. Don’t want to take a gamble with my KA mixer. However, I made Sticky Pecan Buns in a baking class. So, I know what most of you refer to when you say it was “delicious”. Look forward to seeing the creations of my fellow bloggers.
~Carmen
I just got back from a trip from Chicago and didn’t get to the recipe. I will make these on the off week. I want to try this recipe.
I skipped making these mostly because of all the butter and I didn’t want to completely break my KA mixer… maybe someday I will try to make half the recipe.
I enjoyed making these and learning new things about my mixer! As for the butter, Michael Pollan’s Food Rule #45 says, “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.” His thinking is that it takes so much work, you won’t make it very often, unlike buying a donut. I think these sticky buns (2 days to make for me) were wonderful and while I won’t make them often, they were delicious!
I totally agree with MP’s philosophy. I make junk food when I crave it. I see what goes in it. I eat it in moderation. By now I’m rarely interested in store-bought junk because junk food from home always tastes better anyway.
Bravo to MP! Thanks.
I completely agree. You will rarely find store bought candy, cookies, chips, etc. in my house. I do however stock flour, butter, and sugar. I am not in the mood to bake everyday though.
I totally agree with MP’s idea. I’d rather make really great things for a special occasion, rather than have so-so baked goods every day.
As a Wisconsinite, butter is pretty much a staple (I am just old enough to remember the outcry when margarine finally became legal in the state). And as Julia herself said, these are an occasional treat. I love that they weren’t too sweet, either in the brioche itself or the filling.
I’d make the brioche dough again before I make croissants again, any day. Like the result better, and the brioche can be used for a number of different things.
I agree with you. I had exactly two of these and the rest were shared with parents and brother and sister’s families – it was a perfect treat and I don’t think anyone had to worry about the amount of butter they consumed.
I loved that they weren’t too sweet as well. It was perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
Absolutely agree! Loved that brioche dough — found it so easy to work with. These are definitely a “special occasion” item that is well worth all the butter and effort.
Who made Dori Greenspans Brioche and Sticky Buns from Baking from my home to yours? Which one did you like better?
I have made the raisin buns from that book and thought they were a little on the greasy side. It may have been the custard that gets rolled up with the dough, but I would make the sticky buns from Baking with Julia before doing the other one again.
I did and I think I liked them better. Still decadent but not so over the top!
Pheeew just on time!! Loved this recipe!! http://bakinginspain.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/twdbwj-walnut-sticky-rollspanecillos.html
I definitely would cut the butter next time. I’m a BIG fan of butter, but that’s all I tasted with this one – thinking that it could be cut in half I would hope!!
I found that the butter was completely blended into the buns – amazing that the dough could hold so much butter without being greasy!
Yes, it was a lot of butter, and I think it was worth it. I agree with earlier comments about moderation. I was surprised that although buttery, there was a lightness to the buns that is not what I usually find with sticky buns from bakeries. A couple of additional comments about the butter: When I laminated the dough with the butter, some butter oozed out when I folded and rolled the dough again. I also had a lot of melted butter pour out onto the countertop when I inverted the pan of baked sticky buns onto a plate.
I, too, found that a lot of the melted butter just poured out of the pan when it was inverted…made we think maybe I could cut back on the butter in the bottom of the pan. But I agree that it was worth all the butter — these are sticky buns after all, hardly diet food!
I thought these were amazingly light. I really liked working with the brioche dough — it was easy to manage. I was a little skeptical about all the butter, but clearly these are “special occassion” buns….not something we would eat every day. I loved the finaly product — light, tender and not too sweet….all traits that are hard to find in cinnamon buns. http://sgkitchen.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/pecan-sticky-bun-recipe/
I was really beginning to feel sorry for butter with all the negativity directed toward him! :) In reality I think we all see this type of baking as a special event rather than something we will be making regularly. My boys LOVED them especially since I changed the sticky caramel to my mother-in-law’s famous creamy caramel topping and left out the pecans altogether. MMMMMmmmmm!
I just found this site and joined right away! I didn’t receive my book until today, so I had to pass on this recipe. I love butter, but do agree in moderation. I will try this recipe at some time!
I also cut down on the amount of butter but would actually like to try them with the full amount next time. I can only imagine them tasting even better!! Some lemon or orange zest sounds delicious too.
I made this recipe exactly as written and they were amazing! I was concerned about eating all that butter, so I gave most of the recipe away to my neighbors. I loved the brioche dough and will make that again soon. I believe the sticky buns are a special occasion treat!