I made these pecan sticky buns from Baking with Julia so long ago that I barely remember what I need to say about them, except that despite my enduring love of butter, these buns had maybe more butter than I could handle. I felt like I might need to stay very close to the hospital after I ate one, just in case my arteries completely clogged.
They were delicious, of course. How could pecans, brioche, and brown sugar not be delicious?
Sticky buns mirror the sticky situations that pervade our current household. Alas, when the buns were made so early in the month of May, the weather was still wet and dreary, cold even. As messy as life was then, it did not have any additional sticky situations to complicate matters further. Now that the sun is shining on a soon-to-arrive NATO summit in Chicago, the heat has turned up a notch, and with it the complications of family life.
Sticky situations indeed — JE went east to Boston to visit Ed’s brother so our house would be available for BE, Ed’s dad to stay with us for a couple of days. The divorce is old — more than twenty-five years, but things are still complicated. Of course, my father-in-law’s visit coincides with just about the most insane week of the spring with the boys’ sectional track meet this week, NATO snarling the city, Gorilla Girl and Monkey Man’s usual appointments, and my last week of school and meetings before 7th grade camp. Oh, yeah, and I’m still grading research papers.
Family life can be sticky, and even messy, complicated (and what, heart-attack inducing?), but perhaps even the sticky messes of families have a soft, sweet, satisfying taste that lingers after the challenging moments have passed. I’m sure I’ll feel that way after I climb out of the syrupy glop of the dance of family relationships and responsibilities that will consume me for the next couple of weeks.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention 
Loved your pecan sticky buns, looks so yummy =)
Good for you for getting these done early! Men are still rising on the counter. Oopsie! Hope your week goes quickly & everything works out! Sending happy, calm thoughts your way! 🙂
the dough really performed beautifully..absolutely loved this recipe!! just a lot of time and butter!! but i still loved them!!:)
With this recipe we surely gained experience (and probably weight as well)
I’ve cheated on the butter and the brioche was still yummy (it needs more salt and sugar, though). Unfortunately I did not like the topping: too sticky.
I’ll remake the “modified brioche” for sure.
Great shots.
~Carmen
TWDBWJ member
http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com
hopefully your other sticky situations will fade in memory as quickly as the sticky buns, which look delicious!
Ha! When my mother asked how much butter was in the recipe, I replied, “You don’t want to know.”
READING
TASTING
SMELLING
YOUR
BLOGS
I GO
OFF
MY
DIET
GLADLY
GAIN
DELICIOUS
METAPHORICAL
POETICAL
POUNDS
lovely buns and beautiful photos! Sticky buns for sticky situations!
Your bun looks delicious in your picture!!
The sticky glop is the primordial ooze. Flavorful, tasty, and fraught with dangers. I’d have it no other way.
Lovely-looking sticky buns. I like your comparison to life’s complicated connections.
Sticky buns and sticky situations sounds like a double negative:) The buns look great in a sticky kinda way.
Life is certainly complicated – although, I am getting much better at rolling with it.
Your rolls look great – ooze and all 🙂
Your sticky buns look oh so good. All that butter made me pass last week, though I’m wishing I had at least made a half batch.