A Philadephia Story

And welcome to spring! In the old Irish calendar, Groundhog Day (aka Brigid's Day) was the day where the goddess of spring came back to the earth (yes, it DOES sound a like the story of Persephone!) And to celebrate, my family always watches Groundhog Day. It's not just about loving the comedy antics of Bill Murry, which are generally great, but it's about getting in the right mindset for spring. If you've seen it, you'll remember that weatherman is stuck in Punxsutawney, PA to cover the groundhog story. There are several scenes in the little coffee shop, one involving angel food cake and sticky buns (Andie McDowell: "Oh, these sticky buns are heaven"). So, I will share my recipe for GF Sticky Buns, which use...Philadephia Cream cheese ;) (Nice how things work out, isn't it?)



Gluten Free Sticky Buns

4 eggs
1/2 C white, granulated sugar
1 package cream cheese, or neufchatel
1 stick margarine
1 package rapid rise yeast
2 packages instant yeast (non-rapid)
1/2 C cold water
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
3 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 package (~2C) glutinous rice flour

1. Preheat oven to 350*F and place a 9"x13" pyrex pan on the bottom rack. Fill this pan full of water. DO NOT ADD COLD WATER TO THIS PAN AFTER IT IS HOT, or it might explode.
2. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and the sugar together on high for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you have a mix that looks like meringue (hard, white peaks).
3. Add softened cream cheese and beat throughly.
4. Add margarine and beat throughly.
5. Add all three packets of yeast and mix throughly.
6. Add the cold water, and mix throughly.
7. Add the baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum, while mixing throughly.
8. Add the glutinous rice flour and mix throughly. The you should end up with a really thick, fairly sticky dough. If you you can't pick up the dough with a tablespoon to make a rounded lump, add 1 more tsp xanthan gum.
9. Set aside.




Caramel sauce:
1 1/2 sticks butter ( you can use margarine, but it will water down the caramel)
1 1/2 C packed brown sugar (dark has more molasses in it, so it tastes EVEN BETTER)
3 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
4-8oz walnuts, coarsely chopped (or pecans. DO NOT use almonds or cashews)

1. Melt the butter over medium heat
2. Add the brown sugar.
3. Stir in cinnamon.
4. Bring to a boil for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat.




Assembly:
1. Grease a bunt pan with Crisco (I hear Pam works, too)
2. Sprinkle 1/3 of your chopped nuts into the bunt pan.
3. Pour enough of the caramel sauce into the bunt to cover the bottom, about 1/3 of the mix.
4. Drop tablespoons of dough onto the caramel sauce in the bunt pan. When you're dropping them in, don't move them after they're in. Try to drop them so that there is some space (about 1/2") between the balls. This should take about 1/3 to 1/2 of your dough.
5. After making one layer of dough in the pan, sprinkle with 1/2 of the nuts and 1/2 of the caramel sauce left.
6. Repeat dough dropping, using all the rest of the dough.
7. Top with the CARAMEL SAUCE, THEN the remaining nuts.
8. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the rolls are set to touch (if you gently "thump" them with your finger, if sounds like a drum) and the caramel is boiling up in the middle.

IMPORTANT:
When you remove the bunt pan from the oven, put a plate over the top of the pan and flip the pan. LEAVE THIS SIT FOR 5 to 10 MINUTES. Then, remove the bunt pan.























Enjoy the goodies!
The Irish Lass