If this doesn't light'em up at the office, nothing will. Sticky buns are a simple variation on the cinnamon roll idea. The difference is they're proofed and baked on a layer of caramel, then flipped over à la upside-down cake. I like to make them in a cast iron skillet since to me the sticky bun has a rustic flair, sort of a country cousin to a cinnamon roll. But maybe that's just me.

The process is very simple. Here I have a 10-inch cast iron skillet that I've poured about three quarters of a cup of caramel sauce into (recipe to follow), allowed it to cool, then sprinkled it with nuts.

I make the sticky buns the same way I made cinnamon rolls, with the same filling, cut them the same way, but proof them in the skillet on top of the caramel and nuts.

Proof the same amount of time (one hour) and bake the very same way: ten minutes at 375 uncovered, twenty covered, then another five minutes to brown. When the buns have finished baking, remove them from the oven, wait three — that's three — minutes, then flip the buns onto a platter or counter top. Voilà.

Here I should add that there are all kinds of ways you could potentially vary the recipe. My fillings to date have been very straightforward, just brown sugar and cinnamon. However as my good friend Pauline so aptly demonstrated, there's no end to what's possible. Nuts, raisins, jams, spices, the list goes on (if you really want to guild the sticky bun lilly, spread a thin layer of ganache on the dough, then sprinkle on dark chocolate chips...you'll be in a confessional for a month after that one). Toppings, as I said, can be anything: icings, frostings, syrups, spiced sugars, caramel...the sky is the limit. So experiment, for as I've written about these types of buttery pastries, there is no losing here, only degrees of winning.

Alrighty. We're under a little time pressure here because reader Pauline has to get these made for tomorrow morning. ;). So let's dive into it, shall we? Begin by dusting your surface with flour.

Dump your batch of cold brioche dough (recipe under "Pastry Components" menu to the right) out on the counter and forming it into a rough square with your palms. Perfection is not necessary here, since you don't want to handle the dough too much for fear of warming it up.

Seizing the nearest pin, roll it out into a square about twelve inches to a side.

Sprinkle the dough square liberally with brown sugar:

Then cinnmamon:

Then, beginning at the edge furthest from you, begin to roll the square up in as tight a roll as you can manage (though, you know, don't go nuts).

Once you've got your roll, shore up the sides and pat down/roll the center to even the whole thing out. You don't want any big bulges anywhere.

Now then the clever part. Seizing a two-foot (or so) length of dental floss, scoot it under the roll to the very center. Loop it once and pull the ends, thus slicing the roll in twain.

Do the same thing with each half so you get a total of four pieces.

Cut each of those quarters into three pieces (this is easier than it sounds, since after three cuts you'll be a pro at this, trust me).

Lay all the slices out in a baking pan (you can also use a large cast iron skillet if you prefer).

Preheat your oven to 375, cover the rolls and proof them for one hour until they're nice and puffy.

Brush with (yes, you guessed it) more butter.

Bake for ten minutes, then apply a tin foil cover to the pan and bake for another 20-25. If the rolls aren't brown enough at the end of that time, take off the foil and bake a few minutes more. What you should get in the end is something along these lines:

At this point you have several options, you can lather on some cream cheese frosting and let it melt over the whole pan, then serve (not my favorite option). Alternately, you can let the pan cool for half an hour or so, then drizzle with a simple powdered sugar-water icing. Or you can cool them slightly, move them to individual serving plates and ice them (or don't ice them) as you see fit. That, as you can probably tell, is what I like to do.

They can also be made the night before and then reheated in the oven or microwave before serving.