The Perks of Preparation

• Not only can you rest sticky buns overnight, but doing so may actually improve the flavor. When a bread dough containing yeast is allowed to rise slowly at cool temperatures, the yeast produces more alcohol -- adding more flavor to the bread. The main advantage, though, is that you can serve hot, fresh sticky buns for a special breakfast brunch with zero stress in the morning. Toss the buns in the oven, slice some fresh fruit and breakfast is ready.

The Method

• To make sticky buns ahead of time, make a basic sweet dough that contains eggs and some sugar. Allow the dough to rise once until almost double, and then punch the dough down. While the dough rises, make your sticky syrup from brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Pour the syrup in a baking dish, and allow it to cool slightly. Fill the sticky buns with cinnamon sugar and butter or your choice of filling. Roll the dough up, slice it into 1-inch pieces and place the pieces in the prepared pan, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler. In the morning, set the rolls in a warm location in your kitchen and allow them to rise until almost double -- usually an hour or two, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Bake them until golden brown. Another option is to let the rolls rise for an hour before you refrigerate them. In this case, let them warm at room temperature for 30 minutes before you bake them.

Sweet Success

• Whether you make and bake the sticky buns all on the same day or refrigerate the rolls overnight, a few simple tricks can help ensure success. Use fresh yeast, replacing it every six to 12 months. Use the amount of yeast called for in the recipe or perhaps 1/4 teaspoon more, since you're chilling the dough. Use water or milk that is almost hot to dissolve the yeast -- around 110 F is ideal. Be sure to use plastic wrap to cover the pan before you refrigerate it. Using a clean kitchen towel works when you're quickly rising dough in the kitchen, but the dough will dry out in the refrigerator unless protected with plastic. Finally, allow the syrup to cool before you add the buns; otherwise, the heat from the syrup will cause them to rise or even partially cook.

Get Creative

• Once you've mastered sticky buns, you can use the same sweet dough for endless variations -- all rested in the refrigerator overnight. Skip the syrup and fill the dough with cinnamon, sugar and butter for a basic cinnamon roll. Fill the dough with a mixture of orange zest, sugar and butter and top the baked rolls with a frosting made from powdered sugar, orange juice, butter and orange zest for delicious orange rolls. Use frozen raspberries, sugar and white chocolate as a filling for a particularly colorful and decadent sweet bun.