Fried Cinnamon Sticks

Starter: One day before you plan on baking the cinnamon buns combine the starter ingredients. Stir this mixture occasionally with a rubber spatula and your starter should soon start bubbling within 12 hours.

Cook’s Note: You will know this because you will see bubbles along the side of the glass container and you may possibly see bubbling on the top of the mixture as well. Let this mixture sit bubbling, uncovered, until you are ready to make bread the next day. You might want to stir it occasionally. Remember this is a living culture and you will need to take care of it in order to keep it alive.

Buns: When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Prepare 2 (9 by 12-inch) rectangular baking dishes by spraying with nonstick oil spray.

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together starter, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, salt, water, yeast and flour.

After mixing the dough for about 2 minutes, remove the dough to a bowl sprayed with nonstick oil.

Cook’s Note: If the dough mix is too loose, add more flour.

Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size. The rising process will take 1 to 4 hours, depending on the altitude and weather at the time and place you are making the buns.

When doubled, dump the whole pile of dough onto a well-floured surface and with a rolling pin manipulate the dough to make a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick.

Filling: Melt 2 sticks of butter to where it is creamy and spreadable. Spread the butter onto the dough triangle making sure you spread thoroughly to all corners. Sprinkle brown sugar and then cinnamon over the butter making sure that the whole triangle is covered, corner to corner. Top with chopped pecans and raisins.