In the world of pots and pans, there are two types of persons. There are cooks, and there are bakers.
Where cooks are prone to a pinch of this and a dash of that, bakers insist on precision. A baker will meticulously calibrate; a cook would sooner fudge.
While the baker will refuse to stray from a recipe for fear that any alteration could crumble the pie or deflate the cake, the cook will stretch the stew with an extra carrot or a bit more broth.
For the most part, expertise in cooking and baking are mutually exclusive. If you're drawn to one, chances are you will feel uneasy with the other. Though we can increase our skills in either type of food preparation, our allegiance to one or the other is likely to be fixed.
So while it is possible for the die-hard cook to gain some baking expertise, it is also good to know that there are some baked items that fit the cook's freewheeling style quite well.
Sticky buns are a perfect baking project for cooks. This was learned from Burt, a friend who is more cook than baker. He never measures and he's more apt to find inspiration in his pantry than in a cookbook. Yet he makes perfect sticky buns.
He has no recipe for these sticky buns, for even in baking he works from instinct. He did, however, explain that sticky buns by nature are forgiving. They welcome a slip of the cinnamon shaker, or an extra plop of honey.
Watching Burt in action made it possible to put together the perfect baking recipe for the cook. It uses a dough that scoffs at measurements and relishes embellishment. And even though it's here in recipe form, feel free to throw on an extra handful of pecans, a little more butter or even some molasses.
If you like, substitute almonds for walnuts; brown sugar for white and figs for apricots. Use date syrup for the honey. Add apricot jam or ginger preserves.
When it comes to sticky buns, there's really no such thing as too rich, too sweet or - definitely - too sticky.
Just one warning: As with any yeasted pastry, sticky buns take time. Though not difficult, they must rise several times and go through several stages for the dough to develop properly. The best way to ease the preparation is to space it out over two days (see accompanying article on C6).
STICKY BUNS
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup hot water
2 packages ( 1/4 ounce each) dry active yeast
1 cup bread flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 pound unsalted butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 recipe Basic Bun Filling or variation (recipe follows)
