Making plans for you

Surely, you don't have plans this weekend.

Oh. You do?

Well, that's OK.

You need to cancel them. Or at least carve out a four-hour window for an important project.

And by "important project" I mean "sticky buns."

Now, I was not really in the market for a new cinnamon-roll recipe. Remember when I called this one the best cinnamon roll ever?

But cinnamon buns/sticky buns were the next chapter in "The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge" and, while I may be many things, I am not a quitter.

Again, the hardships I endure for you people. You can thank me later.

So, you start out by making a pretty standard enriched dough.

But author Peter Reinhart, in his infinite wisdom, tells us to add a little lemon extract or lemon zest to the mix. You wouldn't believe the wonders a teaspoon of lemon flavor does for this very sweet, very rich dough. In fact, I'd say whatever cinnamon-roll recipe you use, you should add some lemon to it.

Trust me.

So you make your dough and you let it rise a couple of hours. Then you roll it out and top it with cinnamon sugar:

Then, you roll the whole thing up, jelly-roll-style. And cut it into equal pieces.

But first, there's an important decision? Are you making cinnamon buns or sticky buns?

I decided to go for sticky buns. Because I like saying "sticky buns." Go on. Say it.

For the sticky buns, Reinhart has you take about eight pounds of butter and six pounds of sugar (OK. A half-pound of butter and a cup of sugar and a half-cup of corn syrup) and cream it all together before slathering it on the bottom of your baking pan. (I read the instructions twice. He does not, in fact, suggest slathering it directly on one's bottom, though that is surely where it will wind up.)

You put your little rolls on the lovely bed of sugar and fat (Reinhart suggests adding nuts and raisins, too, but I left them out) where they'll plump up a bit before going into the oven.

After baking, you flip these guys out of the pan and the sugary glaze on the bottom becomes the lick-it-off-the-countertops glaze on the top. And then you wind up with the delightful morsel on the plate above. And then you put the rest of them in the freezer quickly, very quickly, so you don't eat them all in one sitting.

So, how do these stack up against the Best. Cinnamon. Rolls. Ever? Well, it's not entirely a fair competition since I made these into sticky buns. I loved the addition of lemon in this dough, but the other recipe calls for an overnight rise which gives them a certain depth of flavor. And that sticky-bun topping can't be beat, but who doesn't love cream cheese-powdered sugar icing?

My advice to you?

Make 'em both.

Just be sure to make some room in the freezer.