Sticky Buns

Sticky Buns are the most delicious and decadent breakfast! Perfect for special occasions or a lazy weekend, you’ll love the light, fluffy texture of the yeast rolls and the sweet caramel pecan topping.

I had a great time testing and perfecting this recipe for homemade Sticky Buns! I tasted a lot of them personally, and also shared some with my family. We were spoiled with tasty pecan rolls for days!

You may not want to eat Sticky Buns for breakfast every day, but these nutty, buttery, caramel pecan rolls are wonderful as a treat, or as a special breakfast or brunch on Christmas or a birthday.

My mom taught me to make these Russian Cinnamon Buns called Plushki, and a similar braided cinnamon wreath. I also love my recipe for super fluffy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with cream cheese frosting.

You can make Sticky Buns first, and then add the others to your menu plan for next time! You’ll be a sweet roll baking pro in no time at all!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Like Cinnamon Rolls, but Better – Pecan sticky buns start off like any regular cinnamon roll recipe, but they are next-level-delicious because the rolls are baked on top of a rich caramel sauce with lots of pecans.
2. Start a New Tradition– Serve pecan sticky buns on Christmas morning, the first day of school, on your birthday, or choose another special morning for your family. They’ll be looking forward to this treat all year long!
3. Step-by-Step Recipe – I’m not going to lie; there are a lot of steps to this recipe. Don’t worry though, none of them are particularly difficult! I have broken them down into easy-to-understand instructions and provided lots of pictures too. Follow along and you’ll be fine.

Key Ingredients In Pecan Sticky Buns

Here’s what you need:

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

• Active Dry Yeast: Along with a handful of other common baking ingredients including flour, eggs, and milk, yeast is the thing that makes stick buns soft, fluffy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
• Butter: There is some butter in every one of the three parts of this recipe! It makes the dough rich and amazing and adds flavor to the cinnamon filling and pecan topping.
• Cinnamon and Brown Sugar – Mixed with butter, these make a sweetly spiced filling that not only tastes amazing but is also beautiful, swirled into the dough.
• Pecans – A decadent caramel topping is made with more butter, more sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and big pieces of pecans. I like to very lightly chop the nuts so that there are some smaller pieces and some larger ones.

How To Make Sticky Buns

1. Bloom Yeast: Heat the milk until it’s warm. Add the warm milk, sugar, and active dry yeast to the stand mixer bowl and stir. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
2. Add Wet Ingredients: To the yeast, add melted butter, eggs, and salt. Whisk to combine.
3. Make the Dough: Place the bowl on the mixer and attach the dough hook. Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. After you’ve added four cups of flour, check to see that the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s still sticking, add a couple more tablespoons of flour and continue mixing until the dough is smooth.
4. First Rise: Transfer the kneaded dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

1. Mix the Filling: Mash together the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl, then set aside for later.
2. Start the Caramel: Melt the butter and brown sugar for the topping together, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Allow to simmer and bubble for 3 minutes, until all the sugar is melted and the mixture is thickening.
3. Add Cream: To make this caramel smooth and rich, now is the time to add heavy cream. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the Pecans: Stir in the chopped pecans, vanilla extract, and salt. Set the pecan topping aside.

1. Start Assembling: Start by buttering a 9×13-inch baking pan and lining it with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Then pour the pecan caramel topping into the pan.
2. Roll the Dough: When the dough is done rising, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle, about 12×20 inches. Spread the cinnamon sugar filling mixture over the dough, leaving one of the long edges with about an inch of space with no filling on it.
3. Roll and Slice: Start from the other long edge, and roll the rectangle into a tight roll. Gently press that non-cinnamon edge down to seal. Use a serrated knife to cut the roll into twelve 1-inch pieces, and place them in the pan on top of the pecans.
4. Bake: Bake sticky buns in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they are puffed up and golden brown. Let the rolls cool down in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then flip the pan over onto a platter to serve.

Recipe Tips

• Heating the Milk: When making yeast bread with dry yeast, it’s important that the liquid (milk in this case) is heated to somewhere between 105°-115°F (40 -46°C). If it’s colder than that, the yeast will not rise properly, and if it’s hotter the yeast can be killed. Use a thermometer to test the milk temperature, or drop some on your wrist to be sure that it feels warm, but not too hot.
• Proofing the Yeast: If your milk, sugar, and yeast mixture doesn’t get foamy after 5-8 minutes, it means that your yeast has failed to proof or bloom. You should start over, preferably with a new batch of yeast, since it’s likely that the first one was expired. Also, don’t let the yeast sit proofing for more than 10 minutes. Put it to work as soon as it’s ready.
• Preparing the Pan: You’ll be glad that you buttered the pan and lined it with parchment paper. Sticky buns are, of course, sticky, so this step will help you to get them out of the pan later without making a mess.
• It’s Easiest to use a Stand Mixer to make this dough, but you can mix it using an electric mixer or even a whisk. You should switch to a heavy wooden spoon once the dough is too thick for your mixer, and then use your hands to knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, until it’s smooth. This way takes some muscle, but it will work!
• Don’t Squish the Rolls: A good serrated knife should do a great job of gently sawing the roll of dough into pieces. You can also cut cinnamon rolls using unflavored dental floss. (I like using dental floss to cut cheesecake sometimes too!)
• You can make the caramel sauce with pecans up to 2 days ahead of time. Just keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to make your rolls.

Storing Tips

To Store: Once the rolls are baked, they will stay at room temperature for 2 days, covered. Reheat, covered with foil, in a 350°F oven for a few minutes, or microwave for 30 seconds.

To Freeze: You can also freeze sticky buns. Wrap them and place in a freezer container, and freeze for up to 3 months. You can pop one into the microwave directly from the freezer. Heat at 30-second intervals until warmed through.

Make Ahead Sticky Buns

You might want to prep these pecan rolls ahead of time, to save some morning stress. I prefer this recipe when it’s made fresh, but you do have options if you must make it ahead.

Overnight in the Fridge: Instead of letting the cut rolls rise for an hour at room temperature, cover and let rise in the fridge for 8-24 hours. You may not get quite as much rise, but you can then pop the whole pan right in the oven and bake as directed.

In the Freezer: After the dough has completed its initial rise, wrap it and freeze it for up to 2 weeks. Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then proceed with rolling and baking the sticky buns.

FAQs

Sticky Buns are going to be a bit hit when you serve them to your family! Save this recipe for a special occasion, or whip up a batch this weekend, “just because”.