Old Fashioned Sticky Buns

It is 10:50 am as I write this. We, meaning myself and the children, have been up since 7:00 am. My children have been bickering, on and off, since 7:55.

This is quarantine life.

So far we have bickered over screen time, lack of screentime, snitched on who is breaking screentime rules, bickered about how snitches end up with stitches and locked each other out on the roof. We have also watched approximately 15 YouTube videos of some adult-child screaming into the microphone while playing a game clearly marketed towards children and completed one 20-minute middle school athletics workout clearly designed by PE teachers intent on physical harm. It’s been an eventful morning.

Let’s face it, quarantine life is weird.

I haven’t worn actual pants in five weeks. Once in a while, I will throw on jeans just for giggles, but they feel weird, kind of like I’m wearing a ball gown just because. My hair, well, all of our hair, is now showing off its natural beauty. Or in my case, it’s natural mousiness. There is nothing I can do about this as all hair salons are closed. I worry about how this will affect the darling girl who turns my hair into my HAIR every 10 weeks. It makes my heart hurt. I’ve impulse shopped one million online retailers but have no need for the cute spring dresses or outfits I throw in my online carts. I’ve used the “save for later” option on all of them. Instead, I buy comfort joggers and leggings and shop for tank tops and t-shirts good enough to wear to bed and to “work.”

Because work, as we all know, is now on the couch–all of the time.

Our kids, well, they’ve suffered in their own ways. They’re terribly bored. TERRIBLY. They miss their friends dearly. They miss the freedom of being able to bike to the park and hang out for hours, doing the things kids do together with all of their neighborhood friends. They miss school. And teachers who are actually qualified to teach them. They miss their activities and their sports and their teams. 

So they make up for it by alternately fighting like cats and dogs and staring at screens until their brains melt off. There is almost no in-between.

I struggle with the screentime battle. Do I limit it? How much is too much? Are they getting dumber by the second as they play this mind-numbing Roblox nonsense? But then, without it they are either up to shenanigans sure to land them in the hospital. or fighting. There is no in-between. Is my sanity a comparable trade-off for their electronics use? I don’t know the answer to this question.

And then there’s the schooling. Oh, the schooling. We’re trying, y’all. We really are.  My kids are doing great. They’re in a routine and they’re pushing through. But then they have a question about algebra and I have no idea what they’re talking about so I make them facetime Jeff (who is essential, btw, so still going in to the office) and question how I ever graduated high school much less college with my complete lack of mathematical knowledge. OR, they ask for zero help but don’t finish all of their assignments so I have to hover and be all micro-manage-y (which is not my personality so it’s weird) to make sure they’re not missing things. 

I feel like a pinball during school hours and I’m terribly exhausted.

Quarantine is weird, y’all. 

But here’s the deal. It’s also kind of fun. Every day I get to have conversations with my children, individually and together, that we never would have had before. We would have been too busy. We take daily after lunch bike rides. I watch in awe as Dillon, my oldest, leads the two younger ones as a bike tour guide, while I bring up the rear walking the dog. They eventually get bored with electronics. I’ve discovered this. And when they do, they actually play. Like, use their imaginations, creative play. They’ve created obstacle courses for each other. They built a whole capture the flag game using a Nerf Bow and Arrow set and a homemade arrow sling they made, together. I’ve watched Dillon be the big brother I always knew he could be and I’ve watched them bond in ways that wouldn’t have existed before.

We have played games as a family. Jeff has taken the kids on runs and long bike rides so I can get a few blessed seconds to myself. I’ve caught myself staring in awe, more than once, at the good that has come out of this quarantine.  While we were disjointed, busy, overscheduled and kind of falling apart before. Now we’re calmer (most of the time), a team (all of the time) and functioning more like the family I always knew we could be. 

Thank you, Corona, for giving me my family back. 

But seriously, you’re done here, so move about your way. Momma needs a hair cut. Fo’ sho.

Old Fashioned Sticky Buns

Do you want to know the other thing this quarantine has brought about? 

Massive amounts of stress baking. That’s what.

I honestly have baked more during this quarantine than I have ever done. It’s partially out of boredom and partially because baking means stress-relief for me. The good part, we get lots of treats. The bad part? The excess poundage from said treats. Never fear, though. I’ve always got middle school athletics workouts to keep me fit.

These Old Fashioned Sticky Buns, though, are an old family recipe I’ve never had the guts to tackle. Something about baking and working with yeast means taking it to a whole nother level, and that level had previously terrified me. BUT, with nothing but time on my hands, I decided it was time to tame that beast. 

Turns out I didn’t have much to fear. These turned out beautifully on take one and with just a few small tweaks to an otherwise perfect recipe, I made it my own. These Old Fashioned Sticky Buns are derived from a recipe my mom made hundreds of times for us growing up. She would make them ahead of time and freeze them before our yearly beach vacation, letting them thaw and rise in the car on the way there. They’re not traditional cinnamon buns, there isn’t a bit of cream cheese frosting to be found. Instead, the beauty is in the sweet and sticky topping you make in the skillet and place the buns facedown in to bake. Trust me, this sweet (but not too sweet) topper is all you need. It’s delicious.

I know it’s intimidating to use yeast in baking, but this is the perfect recipe to try with because it requires no proofing. In fact, I was afraid my water was too hot and I scalded it but it still rose perfectly. I recommend rolling it out directly on your counter, and don’t worry if it isn’t perfect when you roll it up. Mine weren’t the tightest, but once they rise and are baked, when you invert them you can’t even tell. They look beautiful as is.

Either way, these old fashioned sticky buns are perfect for special occasions (we had them on Easter morning) but are also great for regular old weekdays or weekends. You can make them ahead (bake them but don’t take them out of the pan, reheat gently for about 40 minutes at 350 and pop out to enjoy) or spend a leisurely morning rolling them out and letting the delectable smell fill your house. 

They’re just like your grandma used to make. Trust me.

Peace love and quarantine, 
Meg

Old Fashioned Sticky Buns

April 14, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• Topping:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• pinch of salt
• Dough:
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Filling:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

• Step 1 For the topping:
• Step 2 Combine all topping ingredients in a 10 inch cast iron skillet (or another oven-proof pan).
• Step 3 Heat, stirring, until ingredients are blended.
• Step 4 Set aside.
• Step 5 For the dough:
• Step 6 Add butter to the boiling water, stirring to melt. Set aside to cool.
• Step 7 In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine yeast with warm water and sugar. Stir in egg, vanilla and cooled butter mixture until yeast and sugar are dissolved.
• Step 8 Sift 2 cups of flour and salt together and beat into the liquid.
• Step 9 Stir in the third cup of flour and gradually beat in the fourth until dough forms a ball.
• Step 10 On a floured surface or countertop, roll dough in a large oval about 1/4 inch thick.
• Step 11 Spread softened butter onto surface of rolled dough, to the very edges. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
• Step 12 Roll dough lengthwise as if making a jelly-roll. Cut dough into 1-inch slices.
• Step 13 Place slices side by side on topping in skillet. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled. It should take roughly 35-45 minutes.
• Step 14 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven.
• Step 15 Immediately invert pan to remove buns.
• Step 16

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