Flour Bakery, Boston

Update Review, June/July 2023

Another year, another Boston visit, more goodies from Flour Bakery!

Chunky Lola Cookie. $3.30.

"Customer favorite with oats, chocolate, coconut, and toasted pecans."

I really wanted to like this cookie.  It has mostly all things I really like.  The dark chocolate in it was good.  But, I just wasn't into the texture from all the coconut and oats.  I think this is really just personal preference though, as it was a nicely loaded up cookie, soft, and had a nice chew.  **+.

Double Chocolate Cookie. $3.30.

"Dark rich chocolate cookie and chocolate chunks and walnuts."

I remember loving this cookie the last time I had it.  I was a bit nervous getting it again, with such high expectations.  But one bite in, my fears subsided.  It was soft.  It was chewy.  It was so intensely deep chocolatey.  It was like a brownie.  But a cookie.  And then it had nuts.  I loved it.  

A great cookie to eat just as a cookie, also fabulous warmed up with ice cream, just, truly, a top notch cookie.  ****+.

Seasonal Poptart (Blueberry).  $4.75.

I forgot that I'd had a Flour poptart once before, years ago, when it was raspberry flavored.  My review then (see below) was that it was "fine", but not great, and really just too sweet, and not worth getting again.  Granted, this was years later, and a different seasonal offering (now blueberry), but, it didn't fare much better.

The pastry was reasonably flaky.  Obviously better than a packaged kind.  But it was smothered in icing (as you can see), which I'd normally be excited for, but it was really just crazy sweet.   The filling was also just really quite sweet.  Blueberry flavor was decent.

Overall, yes, quite different than a packaged Poptart, clearly fresh pastry, but, too sweet and kinda lackluster, at least at room temp (and they don't heat them up there).

*** as served I guess, really more like **+, but, it is a decent pastry, just not one I enjoyed all that much.

Yogurt Parfait. $6.75.

"Honey sweetened labne with housemade granola and seasonal fruit."

I can't believe this was my first time trying the labne or granola from Flour.  I love both these things, and I've had them from my other favorite Boston bakery, Tatte, many times, but for some reason, I always go for baked goods at Flour.  But one morning, in addition to my treat, I picked up a parfait for the next day.

Side note: interesting that they call it "yogurt" in the dish title, but, it is really labne.  I wonder if they do that so people don't skim over it if unfamiliar with labne?  

Anyway, the labne was great - clearly full fat, so very rich and creamy.  I'm not sure if they make their own or not, but, it was good.  Lightly sweetened.

The "seasonal fruit" was just blueberries, smaller size, and fine.  Not much to say about them.

Finally, their granola, which was a darker style, no real clumps.  It was nicely crunchy though, even though on top of the labne.  I liked the shards of almonds for extra crunch, but could do without the chewy cranberries, just, not my thing.  I'm not sure what else it had in it, but clearly some other seeds (sesame for sure), and I think maybe another kind of nut.  Anyway, it was good, not outstanding but good.

Overall, a good granola and labne parfait, and I'm curious how they change out the fruit seasonally.  ***+.

Update Review, July 2022

The first time I went to Flour Bakery, it was to seek out the "famous" sticky sticky bun, and as you may recall, I wasn't particularly impressed (see original review).  Since then however, I've returned a few times, and found some real hits (the donuts!), so when I was in Boston in the summer of July 2022, it was time to try more.

Spoiler: While the Sticky Sticky Bun was a miss for me, the Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll was everything I could possibly want from such an item.  Flour has been redeemed!

Brown Butter Cinnamon Roll. $5.

"Brioche rolled with brown butter cinnamon swirl and topped with tangy cream frosting."

Flour has always (as long as I've known), had two desserts masquerading as roll-liked acceptable breakfast - the aforementioned sticky sticky bun, and the brown butter cinnamon roll.  This time, I opted for the cinnamon roll, even though in general, I'm more of a sticky bun person (plus, I love the nuts!).

This was ... well, a perfect cinnamon roll?  Simply put.  Just, perfect.

The base was soft, fluffy, clearly ridiculously fresh brioche, which you could tell was enriched with plenty of egg.  Textbook great brioche.  It doesn't get better than this.  Between the folds was cinnamon swirl, and although I didn't necessarily detect the nuttiness I'd expect from brown butter, it was quite good, just the right amount, slightly gooey.  And then, of course, the frosting, because, who doesn't want frosting for breakfast?  Cream cheese frosting, which actually tasted like cream cheese, and was so smooth and creamy.  Again, textbook.

Honestly, there was nothing to fault with this item.  It was just perfectly executed, everything in balance, and delicious.  Sure, I wished it had nuts on top, but for a cinnamon roll, it doesn't get better than this.

****+.

Update Reviews, August & December 2021

Another year, another stop in Boston en route to see my family in NH, and thus, another visit to Flour Bakery, my second favorite bakery cafe chain in town (behind Tatte, far behind at that, as Flour I often want to like more than I do).   My mom really enjoys the sandwiches (both breakfast and lunch versions), so I always get her something when she comes to pick me up in Boston, lunch waiting for her before we get back on the road.

Breakfast

The savory breakfast menu at Flour is fairly limited to a classic breakfast sandwich and of course avocado toast, but of course there are plenty of baked goods that count as breakfast: muffins, scones, banana bread, coffee cake, croissants, um, homemade pop tarts (which yes, I've had before, see my earlier review) ...

Breakfast Egg Sandwich (bacon). On Multigrain. $8.50.

"Breakfast egg sandwich, ham/bacon, cheddar, arugula, tomato, dijonnaise, focaccia roll."

The next time I got the sandwich for my mom, I got her the bacon version, and, because she liked it so much before, opted for the multigrain bread instead of the regular focaccia roll.

And of course I snuck a bite.

It matched my memory: big fluffy egg patty with plenty of melty flavorful cheddar, slightly wilty arugula, etc, and I really did like the seeded, hearty, multigrain bread (which I think would make excellent toast).  It was nicely grilled, warm, and wrapped in foil to keep it that way.

The bacon was the only change up here, and it was plentiful.  Crispy.  But very greasy bacon, which made the whole thing eat a bit heavy, at least in my mind.  I wouldn't get the bacon again, and my mom commented that it was just too much.

** from me, *** from her.

Breakfast Egg Sandwich. $8.50.

"Cheddar, arugula, tomato, dijonaise, guacamole."

The breakfast sandwich normally comes with ham or bacon, but for my mom, then next time, I got the vegetarian version, which subs in guacamole, as I know she don't love ham nor bacon.  I also got it on the multigrain bread instead of roll, since she had liked it previously that way.  It is normally toasted, but for some reason, wasn't this time (which was fine, since she was heating it up later).

Breakfast Egg Sandwich: Inside.

I did of course try a bite.  The tomatoes were fine but not remarkable, the arugula added a good peppery bite, and I did really like the creamy dijonaise.  The scrambled egg patty was, well, a scrambled egg patty, not my thing at all, but the cheddar was nicely melted on top.  The guac was spread on one side, I avoided that, as I'm allergic to avocado.

Not my thing, but my mom really likes this sandwich, and requested it another time.  ** for me, **** for her.

Lunch

Smoked Turkey Sandwich. $10.50.

"Zucchini relish, black pepper pecorino mayo, red gem lettuce, multigrain."

I don't really like sandwiches, and don't like turkey, so this was not for me, but rather, for my mom.  Still, I tried a bite.

The bread was fresh, soft, loaded with seeds, same as I got her with her breakfast sandwiches.  It had a slight sourdough-like taste to it, so I wasn't a fan overall.  It had a good chew and crust though.

The turkey was quality meat, nicely smoky.  Little gem lettuce fresh and crisp.  Slathered in the black pepper pecorino mayo, which was creamy and tasty.  Also, slathered in the homemade zucchini relish, which is what I was excited to try, but sadly let me down.  It had hunks of zucchini, and red pepper, but it was just too tart and had a flavor I wasn't into.

Not my thing (**), but mom enjoyed it, in particular, that relish I didn't like (****).  

Baked Goods

Baked goods are the reason I really visit Flour Bakery.  Although the signature sticky bun wasn't a winner for me on my first visit, and the cakes are always "ok", I still couldn't resist picking up a few things to take home with me.

Tcho Chocolate Chip.  $3.

"The best chocolate chip cookie you'll ever eat- made with THREE different chocolates."

The chocolate chip cookies didn't really look my style - crispy and thin, rather than soft and plump, so I mostly got these for my dad.  I also kinda laughed at the Tcho chocolate part - Tcho is "everyday" chocolate to me, as they are based in SF, and I toured their factory way back when they weren't owned by a mega-corp, we used to have their chocolates in our micro kitchens at work, etc.  But I think that to others, particularly on the other coast, Tcho might be fancy?

Anyway.  I'm not certain what the 3 kinds of chocolate were - likely milk, dark, and ... 

It was ... a fine cookie.  Nicely buttery and sweet, but, nothing particularly special about it.  I was willing to share with my dad ...

***.

Double Chocolate Chip. $3.

"Dark rich chocolate cookie and chocolate chunks and walnuts and rye flour."

The double chocolate was entirely different, smaller in diameter, loftier.  It looked more my style, except that chocolate cookies are rarely my thing.

It was glorious.  Rich chocolately flavor, soft and almost brownie-like, with big hunks of melty chocolate and crunch from walnuts.  I really enjoyed these cookies.

****.

Parmesan Chive Scone. $4.

"Savory flaky scone filled with fresh chives and grated parmesan."

I had a lovely salmon chowder waiting for my mom when she came to pick me up, and I wanted something to pair with it for her.  Thus, a savory scone, not the sort of thing I normally order, but I knew she'd like.  Or I hoped she would, anyway.

It was a good scone, nice crumble, very very savory with all the cheese.  The herbs were slightly lost, but it was very cheesy, and I think was a nice match to pair with a soup.

***.

Update Reviews - August 2018 - July 2020

You may recall that I was really excited to visit Flour Bakery, in Boston, a few years ago, but found the goodies fairly underwhelming.  I've since had a few more items over the years (basically, every summer when I visit), and again, have been fairly underwhelmed by nearly everything.  Except ... it turns out, the donuts.  Yes, Flour makes fabulous donuts.

August 2018

Another day, another "Come eat my thing" style of message on our mailing list at my Boston office, although this one was a bit unique.  The message was "I helped throw a wedding this weekend and my house is overflowing with extra cake, from Flour Bakery."  

I clearly went running.  It turns out I didn't need to rush, as they had a *ton* of extra cake!

Lemon Raspberry Cake.

"Lemon cake brushed with lemon syrup, filled with lemon curd, crushed raspberries, buttercream."

I don't like lemon desserts, but I couldn't resist the chance to try another Flour item.

It was ... fine?  But clearly not the sort of thing I ever like.

The cake was a bit dry and pretty bland.  The buttercream frosting was just sweet buttercream, no flavor to it.  The raspberry filling was nice, sweet, and it moistened up the cake.  But ... the lemon curd.  I just don't like lemon curd.  

I'm sure this was a fine cake if you like lemon curd and if you like cake, but since I don't, it just wasn't for me.  I was hoping for more flavorful raspberry and tasty frosting to save it for me, but, it didn't.

July 2019

The next year, visiting the same office, and ... yup, more cakes from Flour!

Lemon Raspberry Cake.

"Lemon cake brushed with lemon syrup, filled with lemon curd, crushed raspberries, buttercream."

First up, sadly, the one I had before, and didn't care for, due to the lemon curd.  This was the standard bakery offering, not for a wedding, so wasn't elaborately decorated.

I still tried a little, and ... yeah.  Not good cake.  Boring dry cake, mushy crushed seedy raspberries, mediocre buttercream, and lemon tang on top.

Definitely not for me.

Midnight Chocolate Cake?

"Deep, dark devil’s food cake filled with a silky milk chocolate buttercream and finished with bittersweet chocolate ganache."

Flour makes a slew of chocolate cakes, including a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake with white, dark, and milk chocolate mousse that sounds fabulous, a questionable sounding low fat vegan chocolate cake, and a Midnight Chocolate Cake, which I think this was.

I found it highly unremarkable.  The cake was chocolate, but ... it was kinda dry and just not rich chocolate.  The buttercream, equally uninteresting.  Just there.  Not very chocolately.

I'm a little confused as people rave about these cakes so much, but there was just nothing special here for me at all.

July 2020

The next summer, well, no visiting the office, as this was the days of COVID, and offices were closed.  Still, I spent 1 day (ok, 1.5 days) in Boston, and of course I stocked up on baked goods.  I visited Flour twice, almost not going the second day, I had decided I was over it, but I am *so* glad I did.

I discovered something epic.

Love the bag!

I'll admit, the Flour bags made me smile.

Poptart with Raspberry Jam. $4.

"Flaky as can be and filled with raspberry jam and topped with raspberry glaze."

My first visit, the first day I was there, early afternoon, post mediocre takeout lunch from Legal Seafood (review coming soon!).  I intended to get the cinnamon roll, but alas, by 2pm ... sold out.  Sadness.  I fell back on my second choice: a homemade pop tart.  I had read good things about this.

It was ... fine.

Yes, lots of icing, yes buttery enough flaky enough dough, yes, enough filling.  But nothing popped.  Flavors were just sweet.

I ate about half, and was just kinda sad, and realize it was likely far better warmed up, and, uh, paired with ice cream.  So I brought the other half back to my hotel, put it into my mini portable oven later that night, warmed it, and added vanilla ice cream, and, yup, it was much better.  Basically just warm fruity pie at that point, with just as much ice cream and pop tart.  I enjoyed it this way considerably more.

Really, it was solidly "fine" but not remarkable, not worth getting again.

Day 2: Victory!

The next morning, I was going to go to my *favorite* bakery in the Boston area (Tatte), but decided, given time constraints, to just go to Flour again instead, as it was literally 1.2 blocks from my hotel.

This visit was a morning visit, so I got breakfast, both sweet and savory (mostly intending to give this to my mom as a gift for coming to pick me up), and, uh, went slightly overboard (I set out just to get an almond croissant, something I was craving, and really, really wanted from Tatte), but then there were donuts ...

Spoiler: best. move. ever.

Flour Bakery is solidly back on the list.

Donuts! Raspberry and Vanilla Filled. $4 each.

Um, wow.  Wow, wow, wow.

I eat a lot of donuts, but these were, hands down, no question, among the best I've ever had.  Both of them.  Wowzer.

I had no idea Flour made donuts even, but they do, weekends only.  They also make a Boston Cream Pie version, but I didn't see it.  But I saw these, and they looked insanely good.  I knew I was getting too much, but I also knew that I could either 1) freeze some - yes, jelly donuts freeze great!, 2) grill/waffle some at my parent's house the next day if I had leftovers (believe me, magic, magic, magic for day old donuts!), or 3) if I didn't like them, or felt super generous, share with my parents of course.

Yeah, let's just say, they never stood a chance of trying them.  #sorrynotsorry.

The donuts were *fabulous*.  Truly, truly, truly fabulous.  

Both were quite large, super fried, like classic boardwalk or fair fried dough, but with no taste of bad oil, and no greasy residue on your hands.  The exterior was perfectly crunchy, and also rolled in way too much (which, was just the right amount, really) of sugar.  Now *that* did get all over my hands.

And the fillings?  Um, as generous as the donut serving sizes themselves.  And delicious too.

Seriously, very, very, very good donuts, very akin to fried dough.

Raspberry filled donut. $4.

First up, the jelly donut.

Jelly donuts were never ones I remember being into as a younger person, but in the last few years in particular, I've gotten really, really into them.  Good ones, at least.

And yes, this was a good one.  A better than good one.  Like I said, honestly, one of the best I've ever had.  I hesitate to say "best", but I can't think of one I have enjoyed more, to be honest.

So what did we have?

Well, the perfect base donut, as already described.  Crispy fried dough, so much sugar coating, and then, the filling, which, like the poptart, was their raspberry jam.  Let's just say, they stuffed this donut (which, if the filling wasn't great, would be a problem of course).

Raspberry Filled Donut: Inside.

I mean, really.  Just look at how over stuffed it was!

Sooo much jam, but it was good jam - not too sweet but certainly sweet, fruity, and, although it had seeds (because jam not jelly) they didn't bother me too much.

It doesn't *look* balanced, but it really, really was.  I adored it.

It was absolutely perfect just to eat like this, but I did also take leftover with me, and I grilled it the next day (it didn't really hold up for normal consumption, as expected).  It grilled up perfectly, the sugar coating perfectly caramelized on the outside, the jam oozed out and got all, uh, jammy, and I dunked it in whipped cream, and was very, very happy.

Vanilla Donut. $4.

Next up, the vanilla donut, the same crunchy, sugary, perfectly fried base donut, this time, stuffed with  vanilla cream.

The cream was a bit hard to describe, not really a classic pastry cream, but certainly thicker than whipped cream.  Definitely not a custard.  Rich, not too sweet, and a nice compliment to the donut.

Vanilla Donut: Cream Filling.

It wasn't quite as generously stuffed as the jelly donut, but there was still plenty of filling.

This one was best just as is, room temp, and didn't grill up as well (which, I expected).

Almond croissant. $4.50.

"Our famous croissant baked a second time, filled with frangipane (almond pastry cream), brushed with almond syrup, and topped with sliced almonds."

What I really wanted?  The "famous" almond croissant from Tatte, not Flour, which I've nearly tried oh so many times (or the pistachio one!).  But, I was trying to be efficient, and thus settled for the one at Flour, even though, to be honest, it did not look all that great.

And ... it wasn't.  It had all the right pedigree: dusted with powdered sugar, topped with crunchy sliced almonds, and even brushed with almond syrup for more almond flavor.  It was decently crisp on top.

Inside, a decent amount of frangipane, well distributed.

Like most items at Flour, there was nothing *wrong* with it, but it just wasn't particularly good.  The croissant wasn't all that flaky, nor buttery, and nothing popped in any way.  Honestly, it was no better than a generic almond croissant from ... well, nearly anywhere.

I certainly wouldn't get again.

Egg breakfast sandwich. $8.50.

"Breakfast egg sandwich, ham/bacon, cheddar, arugula, tomato, dijonnaise, focaccia roll."

An egg breakfast sandwich?  For me?  Ha, yeah, no.  I got this for my mother, who was coming to pick me up.  She *loves* savory breakfast, and eggs, and I knew that this would actually heat back up absolutely fine for her.  I appreciated that they wrapped it in foil to keep it hot though.

Of course I did try a little.

The roll was just a focaccia roll, not toasted, but warmed.  Soft.  It was ... well, to me, bread.  Her review? "You were right! That bakery was good!  The roll was wonderful!".

Breakfast Sandwich: Inside.

Both sides of the bread were slathered with creamy dijonnaise, which I actually of course loved (mmm, creamy sauces).  Mom agreed just a touch of that was all that was necessary.

The slices of tomato were reasonably fresh but clearly just out-of-season slicer tomatoes, the arugula added a peppery bite (that she really, really appreciated!), the cheddar was decently melted, and the egg was a scrambled/souffled egg patty sorta thing, kind like a chunk of fritatta?

My mom really liked it, I could tell it was a decently made item, just, not my style of thing.

Make-at-home Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake Kit. $15.

"This kit has almost everything you'll need to make Joanne Chang's balsamic strawberry shortcake."

This I got for us to make at home later, as my whole family adores strawberry shortcake, and, although they swear by the Bisquick recipe for shortcake (ahem, the Smitten Kitchen one some of us agree is much better!), I thought it would be fun to try the Flour version.  The idea of the balsamic strawberries was certainly crazy to them, but hey, my mom at least would have some fun with this.

The kit included the shortcake base mix, the marinade for the balsamic strawberries, and even a liquid sugar and vanilla solution to add to the whipped cream (that of course you make).

It even came with parchment paper.

We supplied eggs, butter, heavy cream, and berries.

Shortcakes.

The shortcakes were a flatter, denser, more scone-like cake than I prefer (I like more loft!), but they baked nicely, and the pearl sugar to sprinkle on top was a nice touch.

They were just plain shortcakes though, I wanted some buttermilk tang, or more crumble, and, alas, there was none.

Luckily, adding copious amount of berry juices helped them out.

Balsamic Marinated Strawberries.

The marinade for the berries was balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, and sugar.

Definitely a touch more interesting than your standard shortcake berries, the acid provided complexity, and my family was amazed by the whole thing (pairing balsamic and strawberries was incredible novel to them!).

Plated?

I failed to get a photo of my creation, but this was my mom's.   Let's just say, my ratios were very different ... 

The whipped cream we whipped, but Flour provided vanilla paste and sugar, which was a nice touch.   I didn't find the vanilla flavor nearly as strong as I expected, but it was still more interesting than regular whipped cream.  It was also sweeter than I really like, but perhaps that was just combined with the berries that were definitely sweeter than I prefer.

Overall, the kit was fine, fun to try something different, and more unique for my family, but again, not really my favorite type of shortcake biscuit, and not really that compelling overall.

Original Review, June 2018

Flour Bakery has been on my list of bakeries to try in the Boston area for ages.  When locals find out I am coming to town, and they know my love for baked goods and sweets, they always mention it, and in particular, the sticky buns.

Flour is a mini chain at this point, with eight locations in the Boston area.  They produce morning pastries of all kinds (scones, muffins, breads, croissants, yadda, yadda), plus cakes, tarts, cookies, pies, etc, etc.  On the savory side, they have sandwiches on their own bread, grain bowls and salads, quiches, and the like.

I've actually stopped in several times, always aiming to try those sticky buns, but alas, they sell out quickly.  My eyes were also on the bread pudding, as, well, I adore bread pudding, and they make it ... from the sticky buns!

I finally got to try a bun.  I was ... underwhelmed?

So Many Treats.

One night, I stopped by at 7pm just to see what they had left, hoping for some of the bread pudding perhaps, and was shocked to see sticky buns.  I had no choice but order it.

The Setting

I visited the Back Bay location, likely one of the least popular, but, convenient to where I was passing by.  My previous stop ins were to the Cambridge locations, much more inviting.

Interior.

The space at the Back Bay Flour Bakery location isn't particularly large nor charming, a narrow place, with a counter up front to order and retrieve your food, counter seating with stools along the window, and just a handful of tables (maybe 2?).

Hallway Seating.

There was additional seating for 3 more people at a counter along the hallway to the bathroom.  Again, not very charming, but, at least when I visited, most people were by themselves, and so this worked well.

The Treats

Flour Bakery does serve savory food.  They have salads, sandwiches, quiches, and more.  But I was there just for dessert, as I wanted my baked goods!

Cookies & More ...

The lineup, even at 7pm, was fairly extensive.  Tons of cookies (easily ruled out since I don't like cookies), breads, and cupcakes.

Although I'm not one for quickbreads, I've heard great things about the coffee cake and the apple snacking cake, so those were both on my list to check out.  But better things lay ahead ...

More Tempting Treats ...

The next section captured my eye instantly.

Not pictured (whoops) is a strawberry rhubarb slab pie that looked excellent (just to the right of the chocolate brioche).  The chocolate brioche looked good too.  As did the homemade poptarts.  Even some of the bars looked good.

But ... the famous sticky buns somehow still remained.  I didn't have a choice, did I?

Refrigerated Tempting Treats ...

The refrigerated case however caused me some grief.  They had ... sticky bun bread pudding.  Incredible looking cream pies (coconut, lemon, and chocolate).  Moster slices of Boston cream pie (and I *was* in Boston after all!).  Trifle.

If there is something I love even more than sticky buns, it is bread pudding.  Um, and bread pudding made from sticky buns??!!!

However, it is served cold, and I like mine warm.  It isn't served with whipped cream or ice cream.  Just the bread pudding.  In the end, I asked the person taking my order which he'd pick, and he said he hadn't tried either yet, but, that it seemed to make sense to start with the basic sticky bun.  Which I suppose makes sense (although, how could I trust someone who worked there and hadn't tried their most famous item?!).  Plus, I wanted to save the bread pudding for a time when I could take it home and heat it up, and add the requisite whipped cream.

Boxed Up!

I placed my order, paid, and gave my name.

Several minutes later, a (large) box came out with my name on it.  I wasn't asked if I wanted it for there or to go, and, I actually intended to eat it there.  Luckily, they had plates and real silverware available in a self-serve area, so I just moved it to a real plate.

Sticky Sticky Bun. $3.75.

"Dark, sticky caramel and toasted pecans."

My sticky bun was ... massive.  I didn't think that box size was needed at first for *just* a sticky bun, but, well, it was.

On top was a very sweet sauce, sticky, yes.  It seemed rather honey based though?  The sweetness wasn't one I actually was particularly fond of.

There were plentiful chopped pecans, always appreciated on a sticky bun.

The dough was a bit dry.  A sweet dough, kinda dense.  Very heavy.  Very bready.  Some cinnamon between the layers.

This sticky bun was fine.  But it wasn't particularly good.  I rather suspect that part of my problem is that I had it at 7pm.  Freshness matters for sticky buns, and, the dryness in particular I think was likely attributable to that.

I guess I need to try again, earlier in the day ...