Where are you finding culinary inspiration these days? Instagram has been a good source for me lately. Case in point: The folks at East Fork announced a Mushy Banana Contest via the app, and so I decided to step up to the challenge.
I spent the weekend contemplating what to create and settled on baking walnut-topped banana sticky buns. It was the perfect way to pass the time – and the finished product was exquisite.
Banana sticky buns are moist (thanks to the addition of, you guessed it, mushy bananas) and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. If you’re a cinnamon roll fanatic, I guarantee you will devour them. (I ate one and stuck the rest in the freezer to share with my parents.)
I may not take home the Mushy Banana Contest prize, but that’s OK. Banana sticky buns are the real winner in my book.
Recipe adapted from Tasty.
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1⅛ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ ripe bananas, mashed
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- In a large bowl, heat milk until warm - about 30 seconds in the microwave should do. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining granulated sugar, butter, bananas, 2¼ cups flour and salt to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Continue adding flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together to form a shaggy ball; it should be tacky but not sticky. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it's smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (or less if using a stand mixer). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cinnamon and butter. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, combine the butter, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from heat and pour into an 8" round cake pan. Sprinkle the walnuts on top.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it into a ¼"-thick rectangle. Spread the filling in an even layer over the top of the dough. Starting at the short end, roll the dough up into a log.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 7 equal segments. Place the buns over the topping in the cake pan, spaced slightly apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough is puffed, about 1 hour.
- When the dough has almost finished rising, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for about 35 minutes until golden. Remove pan from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Quickly and carefully invert buns onto a plate.
