One of my new favorite talk shows is The Chew. It's a morning talk show with co-hosts Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, Michael Symon and Daphne Oz. They talk about recipes, tips and tricks for hosting parties, how to dress, eat healthy and other lifestyle topics. Daphne Oz, author of The Dorm Room Diet, recently made healthy blueberry sticky buns on the show, demonstrating how they were easy to make, but also healthier than an ordinary sticky bun.
After mindlessly pinning recipes on Pinterest for a while, I came across the pin for that recipe, so I decided to give it a shot. You can use any berry you prefer; I decided to use blackberries because they are in season.
The first step is to spread a tablespoon of walnut oil on a nine-inch cake pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I used a napkin to spread the oil around the pan so that the entire bottom was covered with oil.
Next, prepare the "sticky mixture" that will serve as the top of the sticky buns when they are flipped out of the pan. Combine four tablespoons of softened unsalted butter (you can soften it in the microwave), two tablespoons of honey and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Combining honey and brown sugar makes a syrup that isn't overpoweringly sweet. Once the sticky mixture is blended together, evenly spread the mixture on the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, or any nut you prefer, on top.
Once you have the sticky mixture in the pan, it is time to prepare the dough. With a rolling pin, roll out whole-wheat pizza dough or a thin crust prepared pizza dough until the dough forms an 18x18-inch square. Spread two tablespoons of melted butter on the dough and set aside.
Now, make the filling by combining 1/4 cup of brown sugar and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Spread this filling all over the dough and then add two cups of blackberries, or whatever berry you decide to use, in an even layer over the dough. Roll the dough into a yule log or a jelly roll, slice into two-inch pieces and place them in the pan on top of the sticky mixture. Be careful not to let any of the filling out of the dough when you're rolling it up or placing it in the pan.
Bake the sticky buns for 30 to 35 minutes in the oven. Once the sticky buns are done, let them cool for about five minutes, then, using oven mitts, place a plate on top of the cake pan and flip the pan over to reveal the beautiful, ooey, gooey sticky buns.
By using whole-wheat pizza dough or a thin crust, and by using the natural sugars from the berries instead of adding actual sugar, you can make healthy but still delicious sticky buns.
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