Narrator:
EAT ONE OF THESE,
AND YOU'LL BE SURE TO FIND
YOURSELF IN A STICKY SITUATION.
BUT NO WORRIES --
IT'S ALL OOEY-GOOEY FUN.
A STICKY BUN
IS ALL ABOUT MESSY EATING.
CONSUMING ONE IS A LIP-SMACKING,
FINGER-LICKING EXPERIENCE --
NO UTENSILS REQUIRED.
STICKY BUNS ARE SOMETIMES
CALLED SCHNECKEN,
DUE TO THEIR GERMAN ORIGINS.
"SCHNECKEN" IS THE GERMAN WORD
FOR SNAILS,
WHICH THE CINNAMON SWIRL
ON TOP RESEMBLES.
THEY START
WITH ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR,
THEN BLEND IN A PRE-MIX
OF SUGAR, SALT,
AND BAKING POWDER.
CREAM CHEESE
AND BUTTER COME NEXT.
THESE FATS ARE
JUST THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY
FOR AN AUTOMATED DOUGH HOOK
TO EFFICIENTLY WORK THEM
INTO THE DRY INGREDIENTS.
AN EMPLOYEE THEN POURS MILK
INTO THE BLENDER.
IT BINDS THE INGREDIENTS,
TURNING THE MIX
INTO BISCUIT DOUGH.
THE DOUGH NEEDS TO STAY COOL
FOR FOOD-SAFETY REASONS,
SO THEY MONITOR THE TEMPERATURE.
THE NEXT WORKER LOADS THE DOUGH
INTO AN EXTRUDER
THAT SQUEEZES IT
INTO A WIDE, FLAT STRIP
CALLED THE DOUGH BAND.
THE DOUGH BAND RIDES A CONVEYOR
THAT SLOPES DOWN
TO A NARROW CHANNEL.
AS IT ENTERS,
THE DOUGH FOLDS OVER FROM
THE SIDES, CREATING TWO LAYERS.
A ROLLER SQUEEZES
THE LAYERS THINNER.
A DEVICE CALLED THE FANNER
NOW ZIGZAGS BACK AND FORTH
TO LAYER THE DOUGH,
RIBBON-STYLE.
THE LAYERS PILE UP SIX DEEP.
AND BECAUSE THEY WERE ORIGINALLY
TWO LAYERS,
THERE ARE NOW 12 IN TOTAL.
METAL ROLLERS
PRESS THE PACK DOWN
AND THIN IT SUBSTANTIALLY
UNTIL IT'S ABOUT
2/10 OF AN INCH THICK.
NEXT UP
IS THE STICKY-BUN FILLING,
CALLED CINNAMON SCHMEAR.
IT STARTS WITH BLOCKS OF BUTTER
AND LOTS OF GROUND CINNAMON.
THEY ADD BROWN SUGAR
INSTEAD OF WHITE.
IT HAS AN INTENSE
MOLASSES FLAVOR
AND IS STICKIER
THAN WHITE SUGAR.
CANOLA OIL LOOSENS
AND HOMOGENIZES THE INGREDIENTS,
TRANSFORMING THE MIX INTO
THE SUGARY CINNAMON PASTE
KNOWN AS THE SCHMEAR.
THIS CINNAMON SCHMEAR
IS THE CONSISTENCY
OF CAKE FROSTING,
SO IT CAN BE EASILY PUMPED
OVER TO THE DOUGH.
A SERIES OF NOZZLES DEPOSIT
DOLLOPS OF THE CINNAMON SCHMEAR
ONTO THE STICKY-BUN DOUGH.
THE DOUGH TRAVELS
UNDER A LONG BLADE
THAT SPREADS
THE CINNAMON SCHMEAR EVENLY.
A DEVICE CALLED A PLOW
THEN LIFTS THE OUTSIDE EDGES
AND FOLDS THEM OVER.
ROLLERS PRESS DOWN THE CURLED
EDGES TO TIGHTEN THEM.
EACH TIGHTLY CURLED EDGE
WILL NOW BECOME THE CENTER
OF A STICKY-BUN ROLL.
ANGLED ROLLERS
CALLED ROLLWINDERS
PICK UP THE CURLED EDGES
OF THE DOUGH
AND FOLD IT INTO TWO PARALLEL
CINNAMON ROLLS.
A GUILLOTINE BLADE SLICES
THE PARALLEL ROLLS INTO BUNS,
CREATING SETS OF TWO.
MEANWHILE,
THE SWEET AND STICKY TOPPING
IS BUBBLING AWAY
IN A BIG KETTLE.
IT'S MADE OF HONEY,
BROWN SUGAR, AND BUTTER.
THIS TOPPING ACTUALLY GOES ON
THE BOTTOM OF THE BAKING TRAY.
THEY PUMP IT INTO THE CONTAINER
AND THEN TOSS IN PECANS
TO GIVE IT SOME CRUNCH.
PUTTING THE TOPPING
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BAKING TRAY
MEANS, OF COURSE,
THAT THESE STICKY BUNS
ARE TO BE BAKED UPSIDE DOWN,
ONCE PURCHASED BY THE CONSUMER.
IT'S A STRATEGIC
BAKING TECHNIQUE.
COOKED UPSIDE DOWN,
THE STICKY TOPPING WILL SATURATE
THE BUNS FOR ADDED MOISTURE.
AND BY NOT EXPOSING
THE TOPPING TO DIRECT HEAT,
IT WON'T BURN AS IT CARAMELIZES
INTO A SUGARY GLAZE.
THE STICKY BUNS NOW HEAD
INTO A TUNNEL
CHILLED BY LIQUID NITROGEN
FOR A VERY FAST FREEZE.
AFTER ABOUT FOUR MINUTES,
THE BUNS EMERGE FROZEN SOLID,
WITH THE FRESHNESS LOCKED IN.
THE STICKY BUNS THEN RIDE
ANOTHER CONVEYOR
TO THE WRAPPING STATION.
HERE, MACHINERY QUICKLY SEALS
PLASTIC FILM
AROUND EACH BOX OF BUNS,
AFTER WHICH IT'S INTO AN OVEN
TO HEAT-SHRINK THE PLASTIC.
IT ALL HAPPENS IN SECONDS,
GIVING THE FROZEN BUNS
NO TIME TO THAW.
IT HAS TAKEN HOURS OF PREP WORK
AT THE FACTORY,
BUT THESE FROZEN STICKY BUNS
ARE READY FOR BAKING.
ALL THE COOK HAS TO DO
IS POP THE TRAY IN THE OVEN,
AND THE BUNS WILL BE READY
IN 20 MINUTES.
NO NEED TO GET YOUR HANDS STICKY
BY MAKING THEM FROM SCRATCH.
