Sticky Buns from Powerless

Olivia Bickford
4 days ago
4 min read

Have you ever read the book Powerless by Lauren Roberts? If you haven't I'm sure that this recipe will convince you.

Powerless follows Paedyn and Kai in a dual perspective world of Ilya where their society is divided into two groups, the Elites, who have powers from a plague that affected the Kingdom of Ilya, and the Ordinaries that had somehow survived the Plague. Now, I don't want to spoil the whole book for you, but I promise I am getting to the sticky buns soon! Sticky buns are mentioned from the very first chapter of Powerless and they continue to be a main motif throughout the book, specifically for Adena, Paedyn's best friend. Adena's love for sticky buns reflects in her sweetness and optimism to persevere while in the particularly pessimistic situation that the two of them are in. The sweet stickiness of the honey pushes through in Adena, and I hope these sticky buns have the same effect on you!

Now enough talking, onto the recipe!

KEY NOTE - I am gluten and dairy free so the recipe that I am using has those accommodations. But, if you don't want or need to make it that way, here's the link for the normal dough recipe and just follow the steps for the filling and topping.

Both of these recipes are from https://butternutbakeryblog.com/ and https://www.katiebirdbakes.com/ so all of the credits go to them! I just happened to make some modifications so that the recipe is more accurate for sticky buns rather than cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients

Roll Dough

1 16oz bag Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Bread Mix [I could not find this anywhere near me, so I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose gluten free flour with some added xanthan gum, also from Bob's Red Mill.]
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
4 1/2 tsp (or two packets) instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/4 cups (300g) water
1/2 cup (110g) unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons [vegan butter can be subbed]
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large egg + 1 egg white *
Cornstarch, for dusting
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
6 tbsp unsalted butter, very soft [vegan butter can be subbed]
1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
Topping
2 tbsp unsalted butter [I used vegan butter]
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp heavy cream [I used oat milk but dairy free heavy cream or coconut cream would work great!]
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp bourbon vanilla bean paste (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add in the bread flour mix (discard the yeast packet), sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a heat safe measuring glass, add the water, butter, and vinegar. Microwave for 1-2 minutes or until it’s warm to the touch but not piping hot. It’s important that it’s warm, otherwise the yeast will not activate. It’s also ok if the butter doesn’t completely melt.
With the dough hook running on medium speed, slowly pour in the warm mixture. Use a rubber spatula to mix in any of the dry ingredients that may still cling to the sides of the bowl.
Once it’s nearly mixed, add in the egg and egg white.
Turn the mixer on medium-high speed and mix for a good 5 minutes to create a smooth and slightly stretchy dough.
After those 5 minutes, allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. In the meantime, lay down a sheet of plastic wrap over your work surface and liberally dust in cornstarch. The dough will be rolled out into a 13×19″ rectangle so make sure to cover enough of the surface for this size.
After 10 minutes, scoop out and plop the dough in the center of the bed of cornstarch. Dust the top of the dough with some more cornstarch and begin to press the dough down into a rectangle.
Roll the dough out into a 13x19" rectangle.
Spread very soft butter all over the dough. Then sprinkle with brown sugar and pat it even. Finally, dust the top with cinnamon
Roll the dough up into a tight log. This should be easy thanks to the pile of cornstarch underneath, but if you run into any issues, use the plastic wrap to help guide the rolling. Use a pastry brush to dust off any excess cornstarch on the log.
Using flavorless floss, cut about 3 inches off of each end and discard. Then cut the remaining dough into 7 rolls.
Before placing the rolls into your dish, melt the butter, and whisk in the brown sugar, honey, cream, cinnamon, vanilla and salt
Crinkle up a sheet of parchment paper, then unwrap it and place it inside a 10″ cast iron skillet.
Dump half of the topping into the pan and then arrange the rolls so that they have a good inch between them with 1 roll in the center and the other 6 surrounding it.
Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible. Once it’s preheated, turn the oven off and place the rolls inside. Allow the rolls to rise in the warm oven for 45 minutes – 1 hour. (For overnight rolls, cover and chill the rolls after they have puffed up. Then bring to room temp the next day and bake as instructed).
After the hour is up and the rolls have doubled in size, remove them from the oven and preheat to 350F.
Dump the rest of the topping over the rolls and bake them for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. You can also test by poking the rolls with your finger. They’re done when they have a soft spring to them.
Let them cool and enjoy!