Raspberry Sticky Buns

This is another of those random finds that I thought I should try out. I think a friend first shared the link on Facebook, which I then tracked down the website and added it to my Pinterest boards. Not my original idea for making these buns, but this is my take on the experience.
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2014/03/raspberry-sticky-buns.html

Very few ingredients required since I started with the pre-made bread dough. This was how it was written in the recipe and I thought I'd give it a try because I'd never used frozen dough before.

- 2 loaves frozen bread dough
- 10 bag frozen raspberries
- 8 oz cream cheese (or mascarpone)*
- 6 tbsp sugar, divided
- zest of 2 lemons, divided
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup whipping cream

*There is a note on the original post that cream cheese puffs into a creamy layer filling the swirls, while the mascarpone cheese absorbs into the dough, leaving spaces but making a moist texture. I used cream cheese and haven't tried with mascarpone yet.

1) Place the frozen loaves in the fridge and let them thaw overnight. In the morning, set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 2-3 hours. When ready, press the loaves together and roll the dough out on a well-floured surface, into a 12" x 24" rectangle.

(I was baking these at night so they'd be ready to go the next morning. So I started the process mid-morning figuring that "overnight" equates to about 8 hours. And the frozen dough is a pretty good deal - I think I paid $6 for 5 loaves.)

2) In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, half the lemon zest, 3 tbsp sugar, and vanilla. (I did this in with my ancient Sunbeam mixer so it would be well mixed.) Smear this mixture over the dough, leaving 1 inch  border on the long ends.

3) In a separate bowl, stir together the frozen raspberries, remaining 3 tbsp sugar, cornstarch, and pinch of salt. Sprinkle the raspberry mix over top the cheese spread. (I didn't use the cornstarch or salt in this step because I didn't have any cornstarch and usually I think the salt is unnecessary. I had extra sugar in the bowl that didn't stick to the raspberries, so I sprinkled that over too. And I forgot to take a picture.)

4) Roll the dough into a log, then use a serrated knife to log the log into 15 equal rolls. Place the rolls in a parchment lined 9" x 13" pan and allow them to rise 30-45 minutes. (The didn't seem to get too much bigger for me during the rise. I had the two extra little ends, so that's why I have an extra pan here.)

5) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the tops are golden. Allow the rolls to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then lift out by the edges of the parchment paper.

6) Whisk together the powdered sugar, remaining lemon zest, and whipping cream. Drizzle or brush over the tops of the sticky buns.

7) Enjoy!

They were quite good. The one main change I'd make is to be sure to tuck in any raspberries that are falling out the bottom of the roll when you put them in the pan because when the baked any raspberry touching the parchment paper burned a little.

When I see these recipes, they usually serve a lot of people, so I always want to try and feed a group since I don't need to eat 15 sticky buns on my own. So I made them for our staff PD Day and they were great for the breakfast before the meetings started.

Then there were leftovers, so they went with me to the farm the next day for a tea party.

In this picture you can see homemade jam (link here), the candle holder decoration (see here), and clotted cream (which is so delicious and I'll have to get Jess to write about since she's the one that makes it).

~Lisa