Sticky Buns

Note: allow heated ingredients (milk, butter) to cool before adding to other ingredients to avoid killing yeast or cooking eggs!!!

1. dissolve 1 pack yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

2. add: 1 cup whole wheat flour (sifted after measuring, if desired), 1 cup scalded milk; mix to uniform consistency

3. keep covered in a warm place; allow to rise until dimpled (1 to 3 hours...I start the micro-convection at 100F for a few minutes)

4. mix lightly in a bowl: 2 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 stick melted butter, about 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp grated lemon rind (optional)

5. add egg mixture to previous flour mixture; add to this 3 cups white flour (sift after measuring, one cup at a time, if desired); blend to uniform consistency (polite way to say 'beat the s**t out of it); keep covered in a warm place; allow to rise 2 to 8 hours

6. roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick, approximately 16:9 ratio for the widescreen version, or 4:3 for standard (sorry...a little video humor...actually, wider IS better)

7. melt 2 sticks butter; add honey (somewhat optional...probably 4 to 6 tbsp); brush butter/honey over the entire rolled-out dough (try to get the honey from the bottom of the pot; DO NOT USE ALL THE BUTTER...see below); sprinkle cinnamon liberally, and nutmeg_ (nutmeg is optional). cover with raisins (yellow preferred; also any other dried fruit you may like, such as apples, dates).

8. roll the assembly up like a jelly roll; slice into 1 to 1.5 inch segments...about 15 to 18 total

9. back to the butter on the stove: add more honey, sugar_ (white or brown...or add molasses to white sugar) until thick (basically until most of the butter is absorbed and no longer just floating...probably about a cup, but don't just dump it all in at once). pour this mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2 glass pan; place segments orderly into butter mix in pan (think 5 rows of 3 or so...fill in at the ends with the smaller segments); allow to rise until pan is full

10. bake at 325 to 350F for 25 to 30 minutes

11. remove from oven and overturn immediately onto a tray (requires a little strength, dexterity, and speed to avoid making a mess...best to place the tray over the glass pan prior to overturning)