Cinnamon sweet sticky buns, with melted brown sugar and pecans.
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1/4 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
- 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Filling:
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Topping:
- 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans
Method
1 Make the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine warm water, yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add milk, butter, remaining sugar, egg yolks, orange zest, salt and 3 cups flour. Mix on low speed until blended.
Switch to a dough hook and then, again on low speed, slowly incorporate the remaining 1 cup of flour.
Increase speed to medium, kneading dough until smooth and slightly sticky (adding a little more flour if too wet), 3 to 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large, buttered bowl. Turn dough over in bowl to coat with the butter from the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour (or 2 hours if not in an entirely warm place).
After the dough has risen, punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured cutting board and let sit 20 minutes.
2 Make the filling: Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt butter; keep separate.
3 Roll out the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll into a cylinder, make crosswise cuts: Roll dough out into a 12" x 18" rectangle. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Starting with the long side, roll dough into a cylinder. Place seam side down on a flat surface and cut crosswise into 15 slices.
4 Make the topping: In a 1-quart saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, honey and corn syrup over low heat; stir until sugar and butter are melted. Pour mixture into a greased 9" x 13" pan and sprinkle pecans on top.
5 Place dough rounds, flat side down, on top of prepared topping. Crowd them so they touch. Cover with plastic wrap, leaving room for the buns to rise, and refrigerate overnight.
6 Bake: Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature while the oven pre-heats. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake buns until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.
7 Remove from oven and invert: Remove pan from oven and immediately (and carefully as not to spill hot topping on your toes!) invert onto a serving tray or baking dish. Let buns cool slightly and serve warm.
