Description
These World’s Best Sticky Buns are a deliciously indulgent treat featuring a soft, tender dough rolled with a cinnamon-sugar filling, baked atop a gooey caramel pecan sauce. Perfect for breakfast or brunch, these sticky buns offer a harmonious blend of caramelized pecans, warm spices, and buttery sweetness that simply melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 3 large eggs
- â…“ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
Caramel Pecan Sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- â…” cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp buttermilk
- 1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Filling
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2-3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until homogeneous. Add the brown sugar, buttermilk, salt, yeast, and melted butter and whisk until the mixture is uniform, though it may appear slightly clumpy. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until a cohesive dough ball forms.
- Knead and rise: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 minutes until smooth and silky. Return it to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature until roughly doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- Prepare caramel pecan sauce: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves and mixture bubbles, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in buttermilk, chopped pecans, and salt. Pour evenly into the bottom of a 13×9-inch glass baking dish.
- Make the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl and set aside.
- Roll out dough: Place the risen dough on a floured surface. Shape it into a rough rectangle, then roll with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 16 inches long by 12 inches wide. Position the short edge facing you.
- Apply filling: Brush the dough with melted butter, leaving a 1-inch border at the top edge. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the buttered area and spread with your hands.
- Form rolls: Roll the dough jelly-roll style into a tight cylinder, using a bench scraper if needed. Seal the seam and place the roll seam-side down. Shape evenly with your hands.
- Slice rolls: Use a sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 equal slices by halving the roll, then halving each half, and finally cutting each section into thirds.
- Arrange and second rise: Nestle the 12 rolls cut-side down in the prepared baking dish over the caramel pecan sauce, with the swirl pattern facing up. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Rolls should be puffed and touching.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and position the rack in the middle. Bake rolls for about 30 minutes, rotating once, until golden brown and well puffed.
- Cool and serve: Allow buns to rest for 5 minutes after baking. Invert them carefully onto a serving platter, scraping and spooning any excess caramel sauce from the pan back over the buns.
Notes
- For an overnight rise, cover the shaped rolls and refrigerate after the second rise; bake in the morning.
- Use freshly toasted pecans for maximum flavor and crunch.
- Ensure the dough is kneaded enough to develop a soft, elastic texture but avoid over-kneading.
- If buttermilk is unavailable, substitute with milk plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
