Ingredients
- CINNAMON BUNS:
- nonstick spray
- 1 cup yeast starter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (recommended Mazola)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups hot tap water
- 1 package (1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- FILLING:
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar, plus more if needed
- 1/2 cup chopped pecan pieces
- 1/2 cup raisins
- GLAZE/ICING:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup half and half
Preparation
Step 1
Buns: When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Prepare 2 9x12-inch rectangular baking dishes by spraying with nonstick spray.
In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the starter, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, salt, water, yeast and flour.
After mixing the dough for 2 minutes, remove the dough to a bowl sprayed with nonstick spray.
Cooks note: if the dough is too loose, add a little more flour.
Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size. The process will take 1 to 4 hours, depending on the altitude and weather at the time and place you are making the rolls.
When doubled, dump the whole pile of dough onto a well-floured surface and with a rolling pin, manipulate the dough to make a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.
Filling: Soften 2 sticks of butter to where it is creamy and spreadable. Spread the butter onto the dough, making sure you spread thoroughly out to all corners. Sprinkle the brown sugar and the the cinnamon all over the butter, making sure that the whole rectangle is covered, corner to corner. Top with chopped pecans and raisins.
Roll the dough into a tight roll. Cut with a serrated knife into 2-inch long rolls and place into the prepared baking pans.
You do not have to cover the rolls, but you will need to let them rise in an oven set at 170 degrees to proof until you see that they are not quite doubled in size, about 40 to 50 minutes. When you see that you are at that point, turn the oven up to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes until you see that they are truly golden on the top.
GLAZE/ICING: In a mixer, beat the powdered sugar and half and half until smooth and without lumps. Take the buns out of the oven and put them on a wire rack. Immediately brush them with the glaze. After glazing all the buns, go back and glaze them again.