Frank's Philadelphia Sticky Buns

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 35 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 small potato, peeled and diced
• 5/8 cup potato water
• 1.5 (1/3 ounce) packages dry yeast
• 7/8 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons crisco, melted
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 5 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup pecans (optional)
• 1 cup raisins (may soak in spiced rum if desired)
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon, mixed
• sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1/2 lb butter

Recipe

• 1 boil the potato in enough water to leave 5/8 cup potato water; drain and reserve the water.
• 2 mash the potato and add the potato water. when lukewarm, add yeast, a pinch of flour and a pinch of sugar; set aside.
• 3 scald 7/8 cup milk. add 1/4 cup butter and melted crisco. stir well and pour into a large mixing bowl.
• 4 add the sugar and salt to the milk mixture. when lukewarm, add beaten egg and stir well.
• 5 stir in 2 1/4 cup of the flour. add yeast mixture and 3 cup flour, or just enough to keep dough from being too sticky.
• 6 let rise 2 1/2 hours or until doubled in bulk.
• 7 meanwhile, simmer together the syrup ingredients: brown sugar, water, and butter.
• 8 if using nuts, sprinkle them in bottom of 3 cake pans. divide syrup between the 3 pans and pour over nuts. set pans aside.
• 9 divide dough. roll out a portion on a lightly floured surface into a 9 x 18-inch rectangle. brush with melted butter. sprinkle with cinnamon mixed with sugar. add raisins evenly.
• 10 roll up dough from long side; cut in 1-inch pinwheels and place in pan.
• 11 roll out other portion of dough and repeat steps.
• 12 let rise 2 hours.
• 13 bake in a 375 degree pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.