Cinnamon & Olio Nuovo Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil Streusel Küchen Buns

<==== Das ist wunderbar!  Well, I thought so at least.  After developing this recipe, I learned that streusel küchen is straight-up comfort food.  It meets most if not all of the criteria to obtain the distinction.  It is warm, sweet, billowy, soft, fragrant, rich, and thanks to a few tweaks I made, fragrant with blood orange, with the heart healthy benefits of replacing a good portion of butter with olive oil.

Oh, did I mention that this dough can be made in your bread machine?  Oh yes, baby!
  

Cinnamon & Olio Nuovo Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil Streusel Küchen Buns
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 large egg, beaten, at room temperature
1/4 cup turbinado or granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 Tbs. Fresh Blood Orange Agrumato Olive Oil  or 4 Tbs. Fresh extra virgin and the zest of one orange

4 cups all purpose flour
2 packages or 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

This dough can either be made in a bread machine, stand mixer or by good ole' fashioned hand kneading.  It's your choice.  The dough will be soft and slightly tacky but should not be very sticky.  Add more flour in small increments as necessary.  After 5 minutes of kneading, allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 hours.  Grease and then lay parchment over the bottom of a half sheet pan.  Roll  the dough out in to a rectangle large enough to cover the bottom of the half sheet pan.  Using a very sharp knife, cut the dough in to 2" x 2" squares for approximately 12-15 squares.  Cover with greased plastic wrap, and low to rise again for an hour.

Meanwhile make the streusel topping.

Streusel Topping

1 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

In a food processor or a medium sized bowl, mix the dry ingredients.  Drizzle in the melted butter and stir with fork or process until moist clumps form, about the size of peas. 

Preheat the oven to 350.  Distribute the streusel topping evenly over the dough and in to the crevices between the buns.  Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes.  DO NOT OVERBAKE!  Allow to cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.  Serve while still warm.



Makes between 12-15 streusel küchen buns