Those Pecan-Honey Buns...

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd has a special place in my life: its publishing loosely coincided with our move to the 'burbs. I'd sit on our patio and get lost in the old South, and think of the tastes of honey buns, peach cobblers, banana cream pies,.. I was so inspired by the book that I dragged one of my friends with me on a quest to locate "honey buns" in my neighborhood. Well, we found them at a bakery at the Golden Horseshoe Mall nearby, and I have to be honest, they were very small and disappointing...

Recently, in honor of all the Honeybees out there, several publications included honey recipes in the past months. Recharged by my interest in honey buns, I've been tempted to bake them all- but I have to admit baking requires accuracy in measurement, preciseness in following directions, and most of all, abundance of time. I came very close to baking Martha Stewart's Honey-Glazed Beehive Cake, but couldn't justify buying the $39 (plus s+h) Beehive Pan from Nordicware. Where else would I use it???

Then I stumbled upon the Pecan-Honey Buns recipe in Food & Wine's August '08 issue. It screamed oozy-gooey deliciousness with crunchy pecans, and I could not resist. So, I set to gather the necessary ingredients from my local sources.

For the dough, you need:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (I substituted Rapadura Whole Organic sugar)
1 cup milk, warmed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons honey, preferably orange blossom or clover (use local honey here)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I added an extra teaspoon or two)
3 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting (I used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose)
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping, you need:
1/2 cup honey, preferably orange blossom or clover
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for brushing
1 1/2 cups pecans (6 ounces), coarsely chopped (Buy them whole- you may want to store them in the freezer, place in a sandwich bag, beat with a meat tenderized or anything that delivers some punch!)

For the filling, you need:
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (I added another 2 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Here are the steps:
1. Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the yeast with a pinch of granulated sugar and the milk and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, the 4 tablespoons of melted butter and the egg yolks, honey and vanilla; mix until blended. Mix in the flour and salt. Switch to the dough hook and knead at medium speed until the dough forms a smooth ball, 4 minutes.

2. Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough and brush the top with butter. Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

3. Meanwhile, make the topping: Butter a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a medium saucepan, melt the honey with the brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Pour the hot honey mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the pecans.

4. Make the filling: In a bowl, mix the sugar with the cinnamon. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar. Starting at a long side, roll the dough into a log and turn it seam side down. Cut the dough into 12 slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in the baking dish. Cover and let stand in a warm place until the buns double in volume, about 1 hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Bake the honey buns for about 35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Invert the buns onto a baking sheet and let cool slightly. Serve warm.

The pecan-honey buns, with my changes, came out pretty much how I hoped they would. There were altogether twelve of them- I ate one immediately and froze the remaining eleven (Ok, ok- I ate two!!) and then froze the remaining ten buns in an air-tight heavy freezer bag.

To reheat, I've been pre-heating my oven to 325° and keeping the buns in for about 25 minutes, you can adjust this time depending on the size and/or the number of buns. After the re-heating, the pecans come out a little crunchier, and have a more pronounced caramelized taste, which I love. If you don't like caramelized pecans, then you may consider covering the tops losely with an aluminum foil. Just make sure that there's enough room between the foil and the bun so nothing gets stuck.

For a little twist, you may want to add some raisins, blond or dark, or currants, which would provide a similar taste. Instead of pecans, you can also substitute walnuts. You might also want to add some nuts (pecans in this case) to the filling for that extra crunch.

As a 'nice' side, you may want to make some homemade lemonade (sun-brewed ones are the BEST), and for a naughtier side, you may think of some Bourbon on the rocks, or a little mint julep, made with reduced sugar so you are not bouncing off the walls!!

A little Janis Joplin on the side does not hurt...