Have you ever seen Nurse Jackie? You should, it's a really good TV show. Anyway, there's this junior nurse Zoe, who is basically one of the most exquisitely written Awkward Girl characters of all time, and in one of the early episodes Zoe has just started her new job, and she brings in muffins as a gesture of good will, and one of the sassy gay dude nurses says 'Oh look, it's the awkward girl who bakes.'

Great news, Vine peeps: I just started a new job.

Slightly less great news: new jobs compel me to bake. I just can't help it. Just as I'll force a birthday cake on anyone who'll stand still long enough, I'll foist unwanted baking on any and all coworkers. I chose to think of this as a quirky foible, not a sign of psychopathy.

Even worse, I decided to make cinnamon buns, which just reminds me of this.



But, you know what? Fuck the haters. These cinnamon buns were freaking delicious, richly spiced and warm and tender and not that much trouble to make. I made the dough and rolled them out the night before, let the rolled and filled buns cool their heels overnight in the fridge, then popped them in the oven when I showered in the morning. Then it was a simple matter of melting together butter, sugar, vanilla and a splash of water to make the caramel sauce that is the raison d'etre of the cinnamon bun. I'm not going to lie, it's a ton of sauce. But I'm also not going to lie, all that pure sugar and butter makes this awesome.

Here's to employment. And to awkward girls bearing baked goods.

Cinnamon Buns
Via Martha Stewart

For buns:
6 - 6/12 cups flour
110g butter, melted
2 packets dried yeast (they are roughly the same size everywhere, trust me)
1 1/2 cups milk, just warm
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup warm water

For filling
110g butter, very soft
150g pecans, lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle or food processor
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg

For sauce:
125g butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla

To make the dough, put the water in a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir to combine. Stand for 5min until foamy. Whisk in the butter, salt, sugar and eggs, then stir n the flour with a spoon, 1 cup at a time, until it forms a shaggy mass.

Knead on a floured surface until smooth, around 5 minutes. Let rise for 1 1/4 hours in a warm, dry place.

When you're ready, combine spices, crushed nuts and sugar in a small bowl. Divide the dough in half, and roll one half out to a large, flat rectangle. Spread generously with half the butter, then sprinkle with half the nut-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining half. Roll up each rectangle like a Swiss roll, then cut into 12 pieces and arrange in a large baking dish. Let rise for 1 1/4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Bake the risen buns for 20-25 minutes, until golden and the tops feel firm. Remove to cool. Meanwhile, bring the butter, water, and sugar to a simmer in a small pan. Stir in the vanilla, then drizzle generously over the finished buns. Serve while warm.