Yield: 24 servings.
- 1 1⁄2 cups milk, heated
- 2 tsp. active dry yeast
- 1⁄2 cup sugar, granulated, divided
- 1⁄2 cup butter, melted
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp. salt
- 5-6 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1⁄2 qt. Pacific Northwest Canned Pears, drained, diced
- 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped
- 2 cups cranberries, dried
- 3⁄4 cup dried bread crumbs, plain
- 1⁄4 cup pear juice
- 1 qt. confectioner’s sugar, sifted
Combine heated milk, yeast and 1 Tbsp. sugar. Stir yeast mixture. Add remaining sugar, butter, and 2 cups flour. Mix well. Slowly stir in remaining flour, mixing well between additions. When dough is stiff enough, transfer to warm surface and knead in remaining flour. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise 45-60 minutes. Punch dough down and divide in half. On lightly floured surface, roll each of the dough pieces into a 10”x20” rectangle.
In a bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. In another bowl, mix together pears, pecans, cranberries and crumbs.
For each pastry rectangle: Sprinkle surface on each sheet of pastry with 1½cups cinnamon-sugar. Top sugar-lined pastry evenly with 5 cups pear mixture. Starting along the back, roll the long side of dough gently to enclose pear mixture. Seal log tightly by pinching seam together. Cut each log into approximately 12”x2” rolls. repeat process for other log.
Place buns, cut side up, on well-sprayed parchment-lined half sheetpan and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake buns in preheated 375°F conventional oven or 350°F convection oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Remove from heat and let buns cool 10 minutes before turning over onto another half sheetpan and cooling.
In a bowl, combine sifted sugar with pear juice and mix well to form a glaze, adding more liquid as needed. Drizzle glaze over warm buns and serve warm.
