Lakeview Bistro Breakfast Buffet @ Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles

I was in Los Angeles for a quick recruiting trip, and stayed at The Westin Bonaventure.  My schedule was jam packed, and, I quickly learned that downtown LA was not somewhere I'd want to walk around to find options anyway, so, I just had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the "Lakeview Bistro".

Breakfast: Day 1.

Sadly, it was inconsistent.  It was great one day, but, alas, not the next.

Setting

Indoor Entrance.

The Lakeview Bistro is located in the center of huge Westin Bonaventure complex, in the inside atrium, with the 4 towers raising on each side.

I'm not sure where the name of this, uh, "bistro" comes from.  It isn't a bistro really.  And it certainly doesn't have a view of any lake.  Unless you count the interior water features as a "lake"

View Up.

The view might not have been a "lakeview", but I loved looking up from my seat, up into the many story atrium.  A really cool perspective.

Place Setting.

Tables were nicely set with cloth napkins, large mugs, and cute little plants.

Buffet.

The main focus is a buffet, set up in the back of the room, with two hot stations (American and Asian), two cold wells (fruit and continental), and a small section of pastries.  More details on this all below.

Drinks

Once you are seated, a server pretty quickly approaches to offer orange juice and coffee.  Both are included if you are getting the buffet.

The first day I asked if sparkling water was an included, and was told yes.  I was brought a small bottle of Peligrino.  The second day, my server said, "from the soda machine? Or do they give you a bottle?" I told him bottle, and he seemed satisfied with that response, so, I think the policy here isn't quite well known.

If you go a la carte, flat and sparkling water are $7, Starbucks coffee is $6. Freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice are $7.75, apple, tomato , or cranberry juice (presumably not fresh), are $7.00.

Tea and espresso beverages were also available, not sure if they would also be included in buffet.

Coffee.

Coffee is ordered from your server when you sit.  

I started with regular and it was ... awful?  Very harsh, it tasted like it had been brewed hours before and left sitting and intensifying.  I did not like this at all.  The same was true the second day.

I moved on to decaf and it was much better.  Still a darker roast than I prefer, but, it wasn't as acidic.  It was nice and hot.

I did appreciate the large mug.

Creamer was brought with the coffee, and standard choice of sweeteners were on the table.

Food

Breakfast prices are high, particularly with a la carte.  I'll lead with that.  But this is pretty standard for a hotel.

There are two buffet options (continental or hot as well), plus a decent a la carte menu.  I only had the buffet (the extended option), but I was impressed with the quality.  The selection was average, and things *looked* average, but it was better than most hotel buffets in actual quality.

Superfood Continental Buffet $23.75.

"Browse our SuperFoods cold buffet and choose from seasonal cut and whole fresh fruits, cold cereal, low-fat and greek plain and flavored yogurts, vegetables, olives, hardboiled eggs and feta cheese. Enjoy a toast station with a large selection of breads, gluten free options, bagels, and pastries. Served with freshly brewed Starbucks Coffee and Tazo Teas, and fresh juices."

Assorted Cereals.

The cereal lineup was Kellogg's, individual boxes, with Special K, All Bran, Raisin Bran,  Frosted Flakes, Rice Crispies.

No super sugary cereals (e.g. Fruit Loops) and no granola.

I thought it was nice that they served these in boxes rather than the standard, hard to use, messy, cereal dispensers with stale cereal, but I wonder if it leads to people snagging extra boxes to stash away and not purchase breakfast the next day?

If you order any of the cereal a la carte, it is a whopping $7.50!  Yes, just for the box of cereal.  And then you could add bananas or strawberries for $4.00!

Milk.

Speaking of milk, it was ripe for the plucking from the buffet as well, in individual cartons.

Vanilla soy milk, whole milk, lowfat milk, and nonfat milk.  I grabbed a vanilla soy milk to chug after the gym, so I appreciated this.

And if you wanted a la carte for this ... $6.  Ouch!

Yogurt.

The yogurt was all Oikos, available in plain or lowfat, Greek strawberry, or Greek Honey Vanilla.

Again, ripe for the plucking as they were individuals, and sealed.

The a la carte price? $7!

Honey, Walnuts.

Honey pots and walnuts were available, perhaps as yogurt toppings, since there was no granola nor stewed fruit?

Whole Fruit.

The whole fruit lineup was ... meager.  Oranges or apples.

Cut Fruit.

The cut fruit selection was fairly sad, melons, pineapple, and strawberries.

Smoked Salmon, Red Onion, Capers, Tomatoes.

I didn't try the smoked salmon, as it didn't look particularly good, nor did the tomatoes on the side.

Olives, Cucumbers, Lemons, Hard Boiled Eggs, Feta.

I also didn't try any of this, and it seemed like a strange selection.  Without lettuce, or dressing, isn't cucumbers, olives, and feta just a very, very sad Greek salad?

Cream Cheese, Butter.

Cream cheese came in plain or strawberry, and butter and non-butter were both offered, individual packages.

Strangely, I did not see bread, english muffins, or bagels.  Which was very strange given the cream cheese.  Maybe plain cream cheese goes with smoked salmon, but what were you supposed to do with the strawberry cream cheese?

The a la carte menu did have toast (choice of white, whole wheat, sourdough or raisin) and english muffins for $6.25 and bagels with cream cheese for $9.95!

Breakfast Pastries.

You know me, the baked goods were my first stop.

The top row held pecan sticky buns, chocolate croissant-like things, and assorted danishes.   On bottom were two types of muffins and plain croissants.

These were all available for $6.25 a la carte. 

I tried ... many of them.

The pastries I tried were not fancy bakery quality, but were certainly better than most hotel buffets.

Pecan Apricot Danish.

I selected this mostly just to try a pastry.  I expected it would be lackluster, and I'd move on quickly.

And at some level, I was correct.  The pastry itself wasn't great.  It wasn't flaky, laminated, nice croissant dough.  It was kinda spongy.  So, not a quality pastry itself.

But I really liked the filling, which is usually just a touch of some generic jam.  This was apricot, really fresh and fruity, quite flavorful.  And there was tons of it.  I also liked the crunch from the pecans on top.

While the pastry wasn't great, the filling certainly was, and I gladly scooped it out and eat it by the spoonfuls.  I bet it would be great on my pancakes too!

Lemon Cheese Danish.

After the success of the filling of the apricot pecan danish, the second day I tried the custard filled one.  It seemed to be lemon cheese.  Very lemon.  I don't care for lemon.

The pastry was again lackluster.

#notforme

Blueberry Crumb Muffin.

Again for completeness, I went for a muffin, opting for the crumb topped blueberry over the poppyseed, even though it looked very generic.

It ... was not very good.  It tasted like one that had come from a bag, if you know what I mean?  Kinda ... stale, gummy, and no real flavor to the base.  It had only a couple blueberries in the whole thing, and, as you can see, very meager crumb on top.

Pecan Sticky Bun.

Oh man, pecan sticky buns?!  Yes!

I grabbed one of these immediately, and they looked much better than average.

It was a decent pastry, crispy exterior, moist inside, totally coated in sticky (that seemed honey based?), and generously loaded with pecans.

Better than average buffet pastry, and I would have been happy with this as my sweet carb item of choice, but, actually, the hot foods buffet had even better options.

Chocolate Croissant Like Thing.

This was not a chocolate croissant, even if it sorta looked like one.  I don't think it was trying to be one.

The top was coated in a sticky glaze, which made my fingers a mess immediately.  Each layer was rolled with a small amount of chocolate filling.  The pastry itself was somewhat crispy on the exterior, in a nice way.  But it was more like a soft sweet bread than a flaky croissant.

Again, another item that I actually would have been totally pleased with, but, the hot foods had more to offer.

Chocolate Bear Claw.

The final day, I went for the almond sliced topped creation, expecting it to have almond paste inside.

Surprise!  It didn't.  Inside was a very mild chocolate paste.  Huh.  

This was not good.  Spongy pastry, strangely sticky, and the chocolate paste was flavorless.

Ultimate Superfood Breakfast Buffet $29.75

"The ultimate SuperFoods buffet provides all of the selections from the continental as well as a variety of hot items. Enjoy favorites such as smoked salmon, a SuperFoods hot entrée and a SuperFoods eggs dish (items rotate daily) scrambled eggs and eggs benedict, fresh hash brown potatoes, Applewood smoked bacon, pork sausage, freshly made pancakes or French toast with caramelized bananas. Additionally we feature congee, miso soup, assorted pickles and noodles. Served with freshly brewed Starbucks Coffee and Tazo Teas, and fresh juices. *Your server will assist you with your choice of toast, omelets (three items maximum), and eggs or egg whites cooked to order."

Aha!  The missing toast.  Only included in the extended buffet option, and the server was supposed to offer it?  I was offered drinks, but there was NO mention of toast or cooked to order eggs.  I didn't hear them give these options to anyone else around me, nor did I ever see toast or eggs delivered to my neighbors who were dining from the buffet.

Hot Foods - American

The hot foods selection was about what you'd expect, with a few Superfoods thrown in, since, Westin Wellness.  There were some hits here, but it really depended on how fresh you caught batches, as is standard with buffets, hot foods, and steam trays.

McCann's Irish Oatmeal.

A small oatmeal station with cinnamon and brown sugar started the buffet.

From a la carte menu they jazz it up with golden raisins as well, for $11.

Roasted Pumpkin.

Roasted pumpkin?  Hmm.  I like pumpkin!

But this I didn't like.  It was soft, nicely cooked I guess, but it had a strange flavor to it.  It reminded me of Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, which I do like, but, I just didn't want for breakfast.

Egg whites and broccolini.

Westin's healthy focus shows up here, with scrambled whites only with broccolini.

#notforme

Scrambled Eggs.

And the requisite sad looking scrambled eggs.

Remember, the hot buffet also *should* have included eggs cooked to order too, so omelets, poached, etc *should* have been available to everyone.

Eggs Florentine.

When I first cruised through the buffet line, there was a single egg florentine remaining, and I quickly moved on.  But after I did my circuit taking photos, it was replenished with fresh ones.

Now, I'm not into eggs, or english muffins, and really not for buffet eggs, but I've had some really, really good buffet benedicts/florentines at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney, so when a fresh batch was brought out, I had to try it.

As expected though, I didn't care for it.  Soggy english muffin on the bottom, way too bitter and chewy steamed spinach, soggy slice of tomato, decent enough poached egg, and rather congealed hollendaise that had no real flavor to it.

My server told me that this is benedict some days, and her favorite of the buffet items.  She was happy to tell me about how they make the sauce fresh every morning.  I do think the standard of quality for this buffet was unusually high, even if I didn't like this.

This was basically the poached eggs, steamed spinach, grilled tomato, on toasted english muffin on the a la carte menu, just, with hollendaise.  That one is served with roasted baby white rose potatoes for $24.95.

Applewood smoked bacon.

I like crispy bacon, so I tried this my second morning.  It was crispy indeed ... as in, I couldn't chew it.  At all.  Almost like jerky.

$7 a la carte.

Country pork sausage.

I also didn't try the sausage, also $7.00 a la carte.

Grilled Fresh Housemade Hashbrowns.

I took this photo when I first cruised through, and there was a moderate amount of hash browns left in the serving vessel.

But while I was collecting my platter, a fresh batch was brought out.  And I knew that they take pride in these hash browns.  But buffet hash browns?  I usually skip them, and most potato products, as they are usually the frozen variety, lukewarm, soggy, and lackluster.

These however, were amazing.  They were grilled, and super crispy on the outside.  Moist shredded potato inside.  Well seasoned (salt!).  

I loved these.  Like, really, really loved them, more than any potato product of any kind that I've had in recent ... years?  They showed up every diner I've visited.

They were even better when drizzled with maple syrup.  But, I think they were my second favorite item.  Although that is a toss-up, really.

The second day, the batch was old and soggy.  Watery even, as condensation collected in the steam tray.  But no fear, I kept an eye out, hung around, and waited to snag a fresh batch.  They were again great, nicely crispy, and delicious slathered with syrup and salt.

You can get these from the a la carte menu for $7.00, and, you totally should.

Buttermilk Pancakes: Day 1.

The other amazing item?  The pancakes.  Yes, the buffet pancakes.

Again, I benefited from the fact that the pancakes were empty on my first circuit, but were replenished while I was there.  Fresh pancakes.

They didn't look like much, but, as the only hot carb item (besides potato I guess, but no french toast, bread pudding, etc), I decided to try them.

They were a thin style, not super fluffy or anything, but ... the flavor was great.  Buttermilk.  Great tang.  I think I'm just a sucker for buttermilk pancakes?  They reminded me of more reasonable sized IHOP pancakes (and you know how much I love those!)

I clearly lucked out with getting fresh ones though.  When I told my server how much I liked them, she was surprised, and told me she never hears that.  And, that her own experience is that the edges are usually dried out.  Mine were not dry in any way.

I really enjoyed these, and the hash browns, both when drizzled with syrup.

From the regular menu you could order blueberry pancakes with blueberry compote, Vermont pure maple syrup, lightly dusted with powdered sugar for $20.75 or Belgian waffles with berries and whipped cream for $20.75, no french toast was in sight actually.

Buttermilk Pancakes: Day 2.

Pretty sure this is going to be predictable, but, uh, on day 2 the pancakes were ... not good.

Dry.  Soggy.  Lukewarm.  Overcooked.  Broken to pieces.

I even waited for a fresh batch, and those too were just soggy and lacked buttermilk tang.  Disappointing.

Mixed Berries Syrup, Maple Syrup.

I coated my first pancake half in mixed berry syrup, half in maple syrup, since there were no little bowls on the side to keep it separate.

I did not like the berry syrup.  Not sure why, but just not an enjoyable flavor.

The maple syrup though was great.  I'm not certain it was real syrup (it was on the a la carte offering), as it tasted a bit too buttery, but, uh, even though I was raised on real syrup (produced by family members), I have a soft spot for pancake syrup.  And sometimes prefer it.  Don't tell my family, I think they will disown me, really.

The syrup certainly helped make the pancakes and hash browns into the glorious things they were.

Hot Foods - Asian

The other side of the hot foods bar is "Asian".  I wonder if they get a lot of Asian guests?  My visit was a week after returning from Tokyo where I was obsessed with the pickles, so I was excited to see this lineup.  Sadly, I didn't care for any of it.

Congee, Miso Soup.

 Both congee and miso soup were available to form the base of your creation.

Toppings. 

This was the first place I stopped, given my love of these stations in the Tokyo hotels.

Sadly, none of this was very good.

The lineup had pickled cucumber, plum, and daikon radish, kim chee, and pork fu (aka, pork floss!).  They all looked fine, but didn't really taste fresh or quality.

Soft Noodles, Sauces.

You could also add soft noodles, chili sauce, and soy sauce to your creations.

"Soft Noodles".

The second day, I opened the lid of the "soft noodles" and was surprised.  I thought these were just noodles to add to your soup!  But nope, they were stir fried with assorted veggies.

I eagerly tried some, loaded them up with toppings, but, they were still somehow flavorless and soggy.  Oh well.

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Cinnabon @ Home

Cinnabon.  Yes, if you've ever been to a mall, you know it.

But strangely, um, I didn't really.  I didn't grow up in an area with malls.  We went once a year to the big city a few hours a way for back to school shopping, but that mall didn't have a Cinnabon.  I literally never encountered one until I was in my late 20s, and there was one in an airport, and the friends I was traveling with were all excited.  I think I had a bite then, but, it was not memorable.

Fast forward a few years.  I randomly tried some truly awful Cinnabon popcorn (seriously, so revolting).  Fast forward a few more years.

I finally tried Cinnabon.  But, still, not actually fresh, not actually in a mall.

CinnaPack ... with Cream Cheese Frosting Cups.

My office is a wonderful place, where people bring in treats all the time.

And this time, it was a "CinnaPack", from Cinnabon.  A big box of Classic Cinnabon rolls, with extra cream cheese frosting.

Classic MiniBon.

"The perfect fun-sized craving.

For the past 25 years, Cinnabon bakeries have allowed guests to indulge in moderation with the Minibon cinnamon roll, a smaller version of its signature Cinnabon® classic roll.

The Minibon offers all the Ooey Gooey™, Disturbingly Delicious™ decadence of the Cinnabon classic cinnamon roll in a smaller-portioned treat. It is oven-fresh with Cinnabon Makara® Cinnamon and signature cream cheese frosting."

I opened the box to find one left.  Score!

I *think* this was a Minibon, not a full size roll.  Otherwise, it was 900 calories (!), and I prefer to think this one was a more reasonable 350 ... plus all the extra frosting of course.

The box had instructions on how to warm it up in a microwave or oven.  I'm normally all about the (toaster) oven, but I was at the office, and had only a microwave to work with.

So, into the microwave it went, for just 30 seconds.  Within moments, it smelt amazing.

Classic Roll with a View!

"Warm dough, legendary Makara® Cinnamon, topped with rich cream cheese frosting."

The roll had cream cheese frosting on top, and it melted in beautifully.  But, there were three extra cups of icing, and I wasn't going to let them go to waste.

After an initial bite, and photo op, I slathered on tons more.  It too softened, melted, and dripped down the edges.  Oh yes.  Sorry, I didn't stop to take a photo of this glory, I was a bit busy stuffing my face.

The roll was good.  Soft, doughy, good cinnamon filling between the folds.  The microwave was both a good and bad thing.  Good, in that the roll was delightful warm, and quite soft.  Bad, in that it was also tough on the edges.  I know I can't judge Cinnabon based on the fact that I had to use a microwave.

The frosting was great, very cream cheese forward, very sweet, exactly what you want.

Overall, a solid cinnamon roll, but, I actually really preferred the one from 7-Eleven.

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Mrs. Crimbles Gluten-Free Baked Goods, UK

Mrs. Crimble's is a UK based producer of gluten-free packaged baked goods, mostly cookies, cakes, crackers, and macaroons.  They also make gluten-free baking mixes, ranging from stuffing and breadcrumbs to sweet pastry mix. 

I tried a few individually packaged items during my last visit to the UK.  They were ... fine?

Bakewell Slice: Top.

"With layers of fruity jam, crisp pastry and no soggy bottoms."

"Almond Flavoured Sponge Slices with a Fruity Layer and Gluten Free Pastry Base."

"These Mrs Crimble's Bakewell Slices are made to a high quality recipe with toasted almond topping on a frangipane base with a strawberry jam filling."

The first product I tried is Mrs. Crimble's signature item: a Bakewell slice, a bar style form of a classic British bakewell dessert.  The format is similar to the more traditional Bakewell tart, with a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam (strawberry and apricot blend), a layer of softer frangipane-ish sponge, and sliced almonds on top.

Every website I looked at had different descriptions of the bakewell slice, so, I give you three to pick from above.

It really wasn't bad at all.  I had no high hopes given that it was a packaged product and gluten-free, but, I liked it.

The top had a few slivered almonds, on top of a almond flavored soft moist cake (er, sponge?)

Bakewell Slice - Bottom.

The bottom was the shortcrust, harder than the sponge, crumbly.  Between the layers was the fruit spread.

Overall, it was sweet, fruity, soft, crumbly, crunchy.  Perfectly enjoyable by itself.  I'm sure it would have been good with a cup of tea.  It didn't entirely meet my "dessert" needs, but for a mid-afternoon treat, or perhaps even, uh, as part of a nicely balanced breakfast, I liked it.

I also had a chunk with whipped cream on top, which then did meet my "dessert" needs.

Jam Coconut Ring.

"Coconut ring with a fruity filling."

Next, the "jam coconut ring".

This was a decent product, but you really need to like coconut to enjoy it.  It was ... shredded, sweet coconut, formed into a soft cookie-ring, with a strawberry and elderberry (!) based goo in the middle.  Sure, it had a few other ingredients, but, mostly, it was sweet sorta gooey sorta soft coconut, with fruit goo.  Sweet, soft, good textures, but, uh, very "coconut forward"?

Basically, a macaroon, but shaped in a ring, with a bit of goo. 

The most interesting element was under the goo.  A piece of paper.  Edible paper.  Rice paper.  To hold the goo in place.  Why not have the cookie extend all the way through? I have no idea.  It didn't taste bad, but, it wasn't exactly good either.

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Pepple's Donuts -> Donut Farm

Back in 2015, I tried Pepple's Donuts, when it was just a little pop up at the Ferry Building.  Let's just say, I wasn't impressed (although I never published my review then, I've included it below).

But Pepple's has re-branded and expanded, with multiple locations now, including Berkeley, Oakland, and even Los Angeles.  After 3 years, I decided to give them another try.

What is Pepple's?  Er, now "Donut Farm"?  A donut shop (promising!).  An ... organic donut shop (ok, fine).  A ... vegan organic donut shop (yeah ...).  My memories were of pretty lackluster creations.  I'm glad to report, they have improved.

Donuts? Well, ok!

I didn't seek out the donuts though, they came to me.  Someone brought in donuts, and had lots of leftovers.

Luckily for me, everyone seemed interesting in sampling them, and was happy to cut off chunks of different ones.  This meant I got to try a large selection!

The texture of all of them is different from what I expected.  They *look* like cake donuts, but taste like old fashioned.  Dense, crispy, greasy in a good way.  I actually really liked the texture quite a bit, and certainly would not know they were vegan.

Most of them just have different glazes on top of the same cake-old-fashioned base, although the chocolate ones use a chocolate base.

 

(Clockwise, from Top): Blueberry (upside down), Whiskey Tangerine Fig, Maple Candycap Mushroom, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Lemon Poppyseed ($3-$3.50 each).

The first box had an assortment of $3 "Classics" and $3.50 "Top Shelf" selections.  I tried all of these.

• Blueberry:  The glaze on this was great, with a very bright berry flavor.  Second favorite.
• Whiskey Tangerine Fig: I didn't taste whiskey in this, but it had a citrus note to it.  Ok, nothing special.
• Maple Candycap Mushroom: This was my favorite!  The maple flavor was very strong, but then there was a really interesting depth to the finish, a sweetness that I would never be able to identify (from the candy cap).  Glaze was more generous on this one too.
• Mexican Hot Chocolate: I didn’t realize this was chocolate when I took it.  Mexican chocolate is never my favorite, and the chocolate base and icing tasted funny.  Least favorite I tried.
• Lemon Poppyseed: Very tangy, good lemon flavor, bright.  Middle of the pack for me.

(Clockwise, from Top): Coconut Whiteout, Whiskey Tangerine Fig, Szechaun Chai?, Matcha Green Tea, Blueberry, Vanilla Cookie.

The second box had some repeats, plus a few news one.  I tried two from here.

• Matcha Green Tea (green with white stripe): This had a strange flavor to the matcha.  I like matcha, but I did not like this.  Second to last pick, and I didn’t even want a second bite (but I took it, to keep evaluating …).
• Vanilla Cookie (cookie crumbles on top):  This was fairly plain, just plain donut base, plain vanilla icing, and a couple cookie crumbles that weren’t enough to be tasted.  The cookie wasn’t incorporated anywhere else.

Original 2015 Review (previously unpublished)

I never published this, but found my notes, so, including for completeness.  Things have clearly improved!

Vanilla Sprinkle.

Wow, this was not tasty. It was dry. The base had no real flavor. The glaze just fell off, and it too wasn't tasty. The sprinkles even looked pathetic.

Other notes:

• Blueberry: Blueberry throughout the donut with blueberry glaze.  Glaze was nice, rest of it was just kinda soggy and uninteresting flavor.
• Coconut:  Standard not very goo cake donut with coconut flakes on top.  Did not like.

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Waffling Leftovers: Sticky Buns

Another Update Review, March 2018

Waffling leftover sticky buns is no longer novel, I know.  I do it all the time, as you have read about before, with several different types of buns, like maple pecan sticky buns or my mom's "famous" pecan sticky buns.  This is yet another story about my mom's version, as she makes them, at least once, every time I visit.

Because she is the best mommy ever.  And these are the best sticky buns ever.

Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Bun Transformation.

Today's lesson? Yes, the waffle iron is a great way to revive day (or two) old sticky buns, but you need to be careful not the burnt the caramel.

The Original: Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns (Bottom View).

The originals were the same recipe my mom always uses, from King Arthur Flour, that we have tweaked over the years.  Doughy, moist, and we always slightly under-bake, because that is how I like them.

The Original: Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns (Top View).

They are crowned with a glorious layer of sticky maple syrup based caramel and pecans.

This photo was taken a moment after I tipped them over onto the platter, so the hot caramel hadn't quite solidified, but it turns a perfect softball caramel when done right.

The sticky buns were glorious.  I told my mom that these were the best batch yet.  They were so moist, so doughy, so gooey, just, absolutely perfect, hot and fresh out of the oven.

Leftover Pecan Cinnamon Sticky Buns. 

Glorious as they were, we had leftovers.

This was the second batch she made, just two days after the first batch.  The batch had 14 sticky buns.  My dad doesn't like them (he doesn't like the topping) and my mom only likes a little piece of one for dessert, and doesn't actually eat them for breakfast herself.  And that's everyone in the house these days.  Let's just say ... I had a lot of sticky buns.

And I love them, but, in my world, the shelf life of a sticky bun is ~5 minutes.  Ok, maybe a few hours, but, even by dinner time, they have lost some glory (I still warm up another and top it with ice cream, and love it, of course).  By the next morning, a warmed one is ok, but not great.  By that evening though?  No way.

They don't look that bad, but, the buns themselves dry out, the topping gets strangely moist.

Grilling ...

We had a big family dinner with a few extra relatives that night, and my mom, completely out of character, didn't prepare a dessert.  (Ok, to be fair, she made sticky buns that morning, a huge dinner and fruit crisp for the same group the night before and cinnamon rolls that morning, sticky buns the morning before that and strawberry shortcake that night ...).

I said I'd handle dessert.  I wanted to introduce more relatives to waffling!

So I loaded up the waffle iron with sticky buns, one in each compartment.  I usually just do one at a time, as I'm usually just waffling for myself.  It was fun to have a group to waffle for!

However, I made an error.  In my excitement to share my waffled sticky buns with everyone, I forgot to check the temperature of the waffle iron.  I leave mine set at 350°, but hers ... hers was set to the highest temperature.  And I didn't notice.

And then I made another error.  I went to socialize and set up the toppings bar (I was going to have everyone top them to order with ice cream, whipped cream, and more), instead of carefully watching them as they cooked, and discovering the error sooner.

Burnt Waffled Sticky Bun.

The result?

Uh, more crispy than I intended.  The caramel went too far, got too hard, and even tasted a bit burnt.

This was not my finest showing.  I covered it up somewhat with generous amounts of ice cream, but, oops.  One person liked it with maple syrup instead.

I did not sell them on the waffling concept, due to my own errors.

Waffled Sticky Bun Perfection!

The next day, I wanted to redeem myself, and we still had leftover sticky buns.

This time, I put the waffle iron on the correct temperature (I actually did 325° because I was paranoid), paid attention, and pulled one out perfectly done.  Just a bit crispy on the outside, still soft inside, caramel just caramelized, not burnt.

Redemption.  Of course these waffle, you just need to pay attention ...

Update Review, June 2017

By now, I know that waffling is a great way to "save" day (or more) old sticky buns, donuts, cinnamon sugar knots, or any other glazed sticky bread products. All staleness vanishes, and sticky glaze turns into excellent caramelization.

Sticky Bun Transformation.

So when I had another giant batch of sticky buns that really degraded quickly past their first day, I knew exactly what to do.

The Originals: Maple Pecan Sticky Buns.

The originals were fairly classic sticky buns, rolled with cinnamon sugar between the layers, a basic dough as the base, and sticky bottom side.

I had them at my office, and we had platters and platters of them. Suffice to say, there were tons leftover, and I grabbed some, thinking they'd hold up ok for another day, and I pondered making bread pudding from more.

The Original: Maple Pecan Sticky Buns (bottom).

Of course, sticky buns are all about their sticky side. The undersides of the buns were coated in a sweet, maple syrup based sticky sauce, with plenty of halves of pecans.

Day Old Leftover Sticky Bun.

After a day, they were dry and stale. These has zero shelf life. Even warmed up, they weren't good.

So I sliced one in half, and threw it, sticky side in, to my waffle iron at 350°.

Waffled Sticky Bun.

After about 5 minutes, the waffle transformation was complete.

The outside was crispy, the inside stayed moist, and the maple syrup coating turned into liquid that infused the whole thing, and then formed a slightly caramelized layer.

It extracted fairly easily from the iron, except that ... it split apart where the rolls were. I didn't really care though, and topped it with plenty of whipped cream. And dug in. I realized about halfway through that I forgot to take a photo of the completed "dish", but, I think you get the point.

These items are always a success, as long as you don't overcook. Highly recommended as a way to salvage 1-3 day old glazed bread products!

Original Review, September 2016

A few years ago, for Christmas brunch, my mom made incredible sticky buns, following a recipe from King Arthur Flour.  Since then, I request them literally every time I visit.  It is a given that I want them for Christmas brunch annually, but I'll also ask for them for a random breakfast when I visit in the summer, or for dessert even (because really, they *are* dessert!).  We've tweaked the recipe a few times over the years, trying different cinnamon fillings and ratios, and adjusting the cooking time slightly (I like them a bit under-baked, more soft and doughy inside, and the topping more gooey and sticky).  At this point, my mom has these sticky buns nailed, and they are a highlight of my visits.

Sticky Buns: Normal Version.

Anyway, I adore these sticky buns and they come out excellent nearly every time (there was one time when we baked them too long, and the topping turned into caramel brittle and the buns were kinda dried out ...).  Pictured above is how they normally look, with an amazing cinnamon sugar topping and tons of pecans bathed in the sticky topping.

A batch is fairly sizable, and not everyone in my family is as crazy about them as I am.  Which means, I generally end up responsible for eating ... 80% of the buns?  And, their shelf life isn't exactly long.

They are incredible hot and fresh out of the oven for a decadent breakfast.  They are pretty good later that day for a dessert, topped with whipped cream or ice cream.  They are acceptable the next morning, warmed, for breakfast again.  After the second afternoon though, I generally start to turn my nose up at them, and move on to whatever new baked good my mom's oven has produced (because, well, she knows I have a sweet tooth, and she keeps me very well fed!)

Sticky Buns: Not-risen.

So that is how things normally go.  Incredible sticky buns that I enjoy for about two days, and then move on.  But on my recent visit, things didn't quite go as expected.

My mom made up the dough in advance, knowing that is the time consuming part.  She stashed the dough in the freezer to pull out and easily make my sticky buns when I arrived.  On my first day there, she pulled it out and defrosted in the fridge.  She intended to surprise me the next morning with hot fresh sticky buns.  But ... she forgot.  And we had breakfast plans the day after that with my grandfather at 4 Aces Diner.  So, two days passed, and then she remembered the dough.  She pulled it out to make the buns on the third morning.  But ... they just didn't rise.  Was it from freezing?  Was it from being in the fridge for a few days?  We weren't sure.  But I still wanted my sticky buns, so, eventually, she put them in the oven, warning me that she could tell things weren't quite right.

Sad Sticky Bun: Not Risen, Way Too Much Topping.

And ... yeah, things weren't quite right.  The buns didn't rise, didn't get as fluffy and doughy as usual.  Instead they stayed fairly deflated.  The topping amount was too much, given the significantly reduced dough surface area.  So, what we had was kinda undercooked balls of dough, with way too much filling inside the folds and on top.  They looked horrible.

They tasted decent enough, but were crazy sweet, and totally not right for breakfast.  Warmed up later in the day with a huge scoop of ice cream to cut the sweetness, they made for a fantastic dessert (in my mind), but, no one else wanted to touch them.  They were going to throw them out.

I had another one after lunch the second day, warm with ice cream.  It was still pretty good.  I had one after dinner the second day, warm with ice cream.  Still a winner.  But, no one else wanted any.  I had an entire batch of sticky buns to eat myself (save for one that the others split the first day).

By day three, I decided to get creative.  Even a perfect version of the buns never holds up to day three.

I imagine you might know where this is headed.  What else would I do with a sad leftover that I desperately wanted to save?  Of course I waffled it, following my tradition of waffling all the things. 

So, Leftover Messed-Up-Sticky-Buns: Will It Waffle?  Yes!

Mid-Way Through Cooking.

I knew this idea had potential.  The cinnamon sugar coating would likely get crispy and actually caramelized when it came in contact with the hot irons.  The entire thing would hopefully cook a bit more and improve upon its under-baked state.

I threw the sticky bun in, unmodified, into a 350 degree waffle iron. (Of course, my mom has the same waffle iron I do, with adjustable temperatures, so, no modifications were needed to my technique).

Waffled Sticky Bun!

The result was certainly better than the original, but, I did accidentally leave it in a bit too long, as I was busy socializing with my family.  Rookie mistake!

The outside sugar and cinnamon did indeed turn more caramelized, into a crispy layer encasing the side of the bun.  It went a touch too dark though, so had a hint of burnt flavor to it.  The pecans on the outside sadly did burn, so I ended up scraping those off.

I think the dough did cook a bit more, but, really, it just mattered less because the whole thing was mushed down to be waffled, so the lack of rise wasn't as strange in this form.

I served the sticky bun with both whipped cream and ice cream, and preferred the whipped cream since I could dunk the crispy roll into it easier.

Overall, this was a success, and a great idea for what to do with future extra sticky buns, even ones that DO rise properly, after day two.

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