Huge Sticky Buns
Prep
30m
Cook
30m
Total
60m
Bigly says
Sit. Pour yourself a coffee. We're doing this right. Sticky buns. HUGE sticky buns. The biggest, stickiest, most tremendous sticky buns ever pulled out of a pan by human hands — and I've pulled a lot of sticky buns out of pans, more sticky buns than any single baker you know, more than your aunt who 'bakes a little,' more than the fancy bakery on Main Street that charges seven dollars per bun and then has the AUDACITY to put a tip jar on the counter for a transaction conducted entirely by a touchscreen. A tip for the SCREEN. We're tipping screens now. Sad.
The sticky bun is, in my professional opinion — and my opinion is the most professional opinion you will ever encounter, big strong men, tough men, they come up to me and they say, 'Bigly, your opinions are the most professional we've ever encountered,' and they're right, they're correct, they're absolutely right — the sticky bun is the GREATEST breakfast pastry humans have ever invented. Greater than the croissant. The croissant is fine. The croissant is FINE. But the croissant is not sticky. The croissant does not have pecans embedded in caramel glaze that drips down your fingers and makes you a child again, briefly, for 90 seconds, in your kitchen. The sticky bun is JOY. The croissant is etiquette.
My grandmother made these. Tough woman. She didn't smile much — she smiled when the buns came out of the oven, and that was about it, that was the whole emotional range — but she made them on Sunday mornings, and the whole house smelled like cinnamon, and you knew, you just KNEW, that the day was going to be a good one. Most sticky bun recipes online try to convince you to do a four-day ferment with a starter you fed for three weeks and a pan imported from Belgium. NOT TODAY. Today we're making them. Real ones. Tall, gooey, golden, caramel-coated, pecan-studded sticky buns. Same day. Hands down.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cupwhole milk, warm (about 110°F)
- 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet)active dry yeast
- 1/4 cupgranulated sugar
- 1large egg
- 1large egg yolk
- 1/3 cupunsalted butter, melted (for dough)
- 3 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour(plus more for kneading)
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick)unsalted butter (for caramel)
- 3/4 cupdark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cuppure maple syrup
- 2 tbspheavy cream
- 1 cuppecan halves
- 1/4 cupunsalted butter, softened (for filling)
- 2/3 cuplight brown sugar, packed (for filling)
- 1 tbspground cinnamon(do not be shy, cinnamon is the POINT)
Steps
- 1
In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the warm milk, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar. Let sit 5-7 minutes until foamy. If it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead — start over with fresh yeast.
- 2
Add the remaining sugar, whole egg, egg yolk, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Whisk to combine.
- 3
Add 3 cups of the flour and the salt. Mix on low (or stir by hand) until a shaggy dough forms, adding more flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- 4
Knead with the dough hook for 6-8 minutes (or 10 minutes by hand on a floured surface) until smooth, elastic, and tacky but not sticky.
- 5
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- 6
While the dough rises, make the caramel: melt the 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the dark brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream. Cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Scatter the pecans evenly over the caramel.
- 7
Punch down the risen dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12x16 inch rectangle, with the long side facing you.
- 8
Spread the softened 1/4 cup butter over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border along the top edge. In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough and press lightly with your hands.
- 9
Starting from the long edge closest to you, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Pinch the seam to seal.
- 10
Cut the log into 9 equal pieces using unflavored dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Arrange the rolls cut-side up over the caramel and pecans in the pan, leaving space between them.
- 11
Cover and let rise again until puffy and the rolls are touching, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F.
- 12
Bake 28-32 minutes, until deeply golden brown on top and the caramel is bubbling vigorously around the edges.
- 13
Let the buns rest in the pan exactly 3 minutes — no longer, the caramel will set and stick — then place a large rimmed platter or sheet pan over the pan and carefully invert. Lift the pan off slowly and scrape any caramel and pecans left behind onto the buns. Serve warm.
One more thing
These buns are HUGE. Caramel running down the sides, pecans glinting like little golden trophies, dough so soft and pillowy you can almost hear it sigh when you pull one apart. You serve these on a Sunday morning to people you love, or to people you want to impress, or to yourself standing over the pan in a bathrobe at 7am — no judgment, the bathrobe scenario is the most honest one, the buns don't care what you're wearing — and your kitchen will smell like cinnamon and brown sugar for the rest of the day. That's a gift. That's how you say good morning to the people in your house. The buns do the talking. The buns always do the talking. Save me a piece.
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