Who doesn’t like to start their morning off with a sticky sweet morning bun?

 Okay … well not every morning! We don’t do it very often in this house but every once in a while it’s a nice treat!

 

This June I took the boys strawberry pickin’. Harrison napped in the stroller while Bennett and I picked berries. It was a perfect way to spend a cool June morning in NC and some how we had the whole strawberry patch to ourselves! I found it quit relaxing.

We went home and shortly after picking made strawberry jam.  I canned about 7 jars of that sweet sticky goodness and Bennett has been enjoying the jam since.

 

The jam was so tasty and had such beautiful color, I knew I wanted to some how use it in a pastry. I’ve been wanting to make morning buns for some time now and I had mint literally exploding out of its square foot! I couldn’t control it!

 

 I feel like this recipe is my attempt to hold onto summer just a little longer. I know September is right around the corner and I LOVE Fall, but I also LOVE Summer and I’m always sad to see it go.

 These sticky buns are all things summer! The chamomile and honey are a perfect pair. The strawberry jam and mint are a refreshing tasty combo. These flavor combos are a palate pleaser! These buns are a little work but completely worth it!

Ingredients for Dough: 

1 package of dry yeast

1/2 cup of milk

2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour

2 chamomile tea bags

1 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of sugar

1 large egg yolk

3/4 teaspoons of salt

4 tbsp of melted and cooled butter

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup of strawberry jam

Ingredients for Glaze:

1/4 cup of honey

6-8 fresh mint leafs

1/4 cup of water

1 1/2 cups of powder sugar

1 tbsp of sugar

Start by flouring your work space. Then in a small sauce pan add water and milk over high heat, bring to a boil then remove from heat. Add chamomile tea bags to water/milk mixture and steep for 20 minutes. Discard the teabags and allow mixture to cool to a lukewarm temperature.

Then add yeast packet and a pinch of sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes or until your yeast is foamy. Make sure to allow your milk mixture to cool before adding yeast.  If it is too hot you can kill your yeast and your sticky buns won’t rise.

Whisk butter, egg yolk, and vanilla into yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl whisk flour, sugar, and vanilla.  Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick dough. Place dough onto floured work space and knead until soft then shape into a ball.  Brush with a little melted butter and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for about an hour and 15 minutes or until your dough has doubled in size.

Briefly knead the dough again to release excess air, form into a ball, then return to the bowl.  Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap, lay it on the surface of the dough, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

On a floured work space roll your dough out with a rolling pin and spread 1 cup of strawberry jam over it.  Then roll your dough into a log and slice with a sharp knife yielding 6 to 8 buns. Place buns into a buttered pan and cook at 350° for 35 minutes or until your buns are golden brown.

While your buns are baking, pour water and sugar into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar is dissolved, add mint leafs, and steep for 10 minutes.  Allow to cool, strain through a fine mesh strainer, and set aside.

Sift powder sugar into a bowl and add honey. Then add a little bit of mint simple syrup to sugar and honey mixture and stir until combined. Continue adding a little at a time until you get your desired consistency.  Then pour over the top of your morning buns and serve immediately!

Grow it. Pick it. Cook it. Eat it.

Chantelle