Pecan Sticky Buns!

I've often said that there is nothing quite like the smell of bread baking. I still stand by this, but, I do need to add one other smell to which nothing can compare and that is the smell of a sweet dough baking with cinnamon swirled on the inside and pecans and caramel bubbling on the outside.
Mmmmm. BarmyMom requested that I make these on the last day of her visit, and I happily complied. We passed the time during the rising with a few hands of gin (the card game, not the beverage). Sweet yeast doughs have a different feel from bread dough. They are silkier and softer by comparison. I know I have mentioned this feel in the past when I blogged Brioche. It is the soft smoothness of sweet doughs that I adore, not to mention how fabulous they taste when they come out of the oven!

Sticky buns are fairly easy to make, and you will be glad you did!

Sticky Buns:

the dough:
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or scrapings from one vanilla bean, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

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-Mix together 1 tsp sugar, active dry yeast and 1/2 cup warm water. Set aside until foamy (about 10 minutes). Heat milk, sugar and butter together until butter melts, remove from heat, add vanilla and let cool to lukewarm.
-In a large bowl, mix together yeast mixture, milk mixture and beaten eggs. Add flour and salt and mix until everything comes together.
-Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth, soft and shiny.
-Form dough into a ball, and place in a clean bowl that has been sprayed with pan spray. Cover and let rise until double, about one hour. While the dough is rising, make the sticky sauce and the cinnamon filling, then play some cards!

Sticky Sauce:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped or halved pecans
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-Place brown sugar and butter in a sauce pan, and heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and pour into a pan-sprayed 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the goo.

Cinnamon bun filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
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-Mix together the cinnamon and sugar, set aside.
-Melt the butter and have a pastry brush handy, set aside.


Once the dough has doubled:
-Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into a rectangle with your hands.
-Roll the dough out to about 16 by 22 or 24". Brush the melted butter over the rectangle, leaving a 1" border along one side to allow sealing of the roll. Sprinkle the buttered part of the dough with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Beginning at the top, roll the dough over on itself as if you were rolling a jellyroll.
Start rolling at one side, work your way across to the other side, then turn back again. Roll fairly tightly. Place the roll seam side down on a cutting board and slice into 15 pieces (or 12 if you want really big buns) placing the pieces in the prepared gooey pan as you go.
-Preheat oven to 350f



-Cover the buns and let rise for about an hour (or till doubled). Play cards again.
-Once the buns are doubled in size, Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven and your preferences, until the buns are browned and the sticky sauce is bubbling up around the sides.
Inhale deeply while the buns are baking. Mmmmm.
-Remove the buns from the oven. Wait about 3 or 4 minutes, then turn the buns out of the pan onto a sheet pan (you may need to scrape some of the stickiness out of the pan and onto the buns, no big deal, just beware burns).
-Cool a little bit, and enjoy!


Mom, hope you had a good visit!

Happy Stickier Bun Baking!

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