TBB - Caramel Buns

Due to allergies, I would normally omit pecans from a recipe, if possible, and continue my merry way. But since my husband LOVES sticky buns, and he hadn't had any since before we got married, AND because it was our anniversary last week, I decided to put the pecans on one half of the dough, and make these Caramel Buns our anniversary treat.

Caramel Bun Fondue, anyone?

Fully dressed Caramel Bun for hubby. Look at that fluffy texture!

This will be a short and quick post. I've been really busy and additionally I'm participating in a club-level Toastmasters speech contest tomorrow (for which I have to practice just a little bit more tonight).

ABC - Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

The ABC bakers are tackling their second recipe from "The Weekend Baker" by Abby Dodge. This time it's a yeast recipe that's a favorite for many: Glazed Cinnamon Rolls. I love cinnamon rolls, BUT... they have to be homemade. Our mall has one of those famous cinnamon roll shops but I have no trouble walking past them and not buying a cinnamon roll that's the size of my head. And with this month's ABC recipe, making cinnamon rolls at home couldn't be easier. They're made with ingredients that anybody can pronounce and they're finger-licking good, especially warm from your oven. Ok, I'll get off my soap box now :o) Let's bake!!

Homemade cinnamon roll with sliced almonds (no glaze) - look at that fluffy interior :o)

If you'd like to join the ABC bakers, please email me at HanaasKitchen [at] live [dot] com. The rules for the ABC baking group can be found here.

ABC - Overnight Cinnamon Buns

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything. I'm writing today's post from a sunny but very windy part of Holland. Yep, I'm across the pond, enjoying a nice vacation, visiting relatives :o)

This month's recipe for the Avid Baker's Challenge are the Overnight Cinnamon Buns. I had the pleasure of baking these rolls with my friend and talented baker & blogger, Karen of Bake My Day. We baked these buns together (without the "overnight" step) and she also brought a starter for a Garlic Bread she had blogged about recently. You can find her post (+ recipe) on the Garlic Bread here (be prepared to drool if you like caramelized garlic - I know I did) :o)

Overnight Cinnamon Buns

If you'd like to join the ABC bakers and bake along with us from Flo Braker's book, Baking for all 
Occasions, please email me. My email address can be found in my blog profile. Thanks! :o)

2nd blogaversary!!!

It's been two years (and two weeks) since I started this blog. At that time, I thought a blog would be nice to have to document my baking adventures, share some pictures, and maybe include a few recipes. Now fast forward two years and I realize it's become much more than that:

• I'm part of three baking groups (Sweet Melissa Sundays, Heavenly Cake Bakers, and Avid Baker's Challenge) and I'm the administrator of ABC.
• I met wonderful food bloggers from all over the world who share the same passion for cooking and especially baking. Some of them I proudly consider my friends.
• Thanks to my fellow baking group members, I've tried numerous recipes that I wouldn't have considered otherwise (chiffon cake, preserves, yeast recipes).

So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank *YOU* for visiting my blog and for taking the time to write comments as well. I truly appreciate it and enjoy reading each and every comment.

If I could pick only one recipe from the entire year, that I think shows the most progress in my baking skills, it would have to be my mom's Orange-Scented Sweet Yeast Rolls. When I made these rolls in the past, they were dense and hard. You could seriously hurt somebody with them, ha ha! A few months ago, I made them with my mom while on vacation. About a month or two ago, I made a couple batches on my own. They were light as a feather, soft on the inside, with a slightly chewy texture, not too sweet, with a wonderful orange flavor. I was very happy with the result. Try it for yourself. You can find the recipe HERE.

Some topped with cinnamon-sugar and some topped with pearl sugar

Light, airy, and orange-y :o)

Mom's orange-scented sweet yeast rolls

When I posted pictures of several things my mom and I cooked and baked while vacationing in Morocco, I got a lot of recipe requests. The most popular item was clearly my mom's orange-scented yeast rolls; they're orange-y, soft, tender and only mildly sweet. So here it is. Let me know if you try this recipe. Would love to hear about your experience :o)

*** UPDATE ***
July 9th: I have updated the recipe as it contained some typos. A big thanks to Arden for pointing them out. To be sure there are no other problems with the recipe, I made a batch tonight. They're currently rising. I'm planning on baking them tomorrow but the dough has the expected consistency.

Mom's rolls are both pretty and tasty :o)