Sticky Buns
Homemade Sticky buns are easy to make with this amazing recipe. These are the most decadent sweet rolls with a caramel pecan topping.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet (2 ¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4-4½ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
For the Filling:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
For the Pecan Topping
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Heat the milk until it is warm to the touch (about 110°F if using thermometer). In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together warmed milk, the sugar and the yeast and allow to sit for 5-8 minutes, until the yeast has bloomed and is foamy.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, and salt to the bowl and whisk to combine
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, and add the flour 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once four cups of flour has been added, allow the dough to knead for 5 minutes then check the consistency. The dough should have come together into a ball. If it is still sticking to the sides of the bowl, add additional flour, 2-3 tablespoons at a time until the dough is smooth and ready.
- Transfer the ball of dough to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm area for one hour.
To make the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth; set aside.
- To make the Topping:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the heavy cream, and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract, salt, and pecans to the caramel sauce, and stir until all of the nuts are evenly coated.
To Assemble:
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper. Pour the pecan filling into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface and roll it into a 12x20 inch rectangle. Spread the cinnamon filling mixture onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along one long side without any filling.
- Starting from the long side that does have filling on it, roll the dough up into a tight roll. Then slice the roll into 1-inch sections using a serrated knife, and place the rolls on top of the pecan filling.
- Cover and allow to rise again for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C when the rise is almost finished. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls have puffed up and become golden brown.
- Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before flipping the rolls onto a platter. Serve warm!
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- The dough can be frozen. Let the dough complete its first rise, then wrap it in plastic and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight and then proceed with the recipe.
- To Make Ahead: You can refrigerate the pan of unbaked rolls and pecan sauce so that it's ready to pop in the oven in the morning. Rather than letting the rolls do their second rise for an hour at room temperature, let them rise in the fridge for 8-24 hours.
- To Store: Baked sticky buns can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll | Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 635IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 1mg
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/sticky-buns/