Description
Delightfully soft and gooey, these Easy Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Buns feature a rich caramel-pecan topping and a warm cinnamon filling, baked to golden perfection. Perfect for brunch or a sweet treat, they combine fluffy yeast dough with a luscious sticky glaze and crunchy pecans.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 packet active dry yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup warm milk (about 110°F/43°C)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
Cinnamon Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Sticky Pecan Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Prepare the Dough: In a large bowl, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir gently and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy, activating it for a fluffy dough.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Add melted butter, egg, and salt to the yeast mixture and mix.
- Add Flour: Gradually stir in flour until a dough begins to form, combining all ingredients evenly.
- Knead Dough: Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic, developing gluten for structure.
- First Rise: Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size to create airiness.
- Prepare Filling: In a bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth.
- Make Sticky Topping: Over medium heat in a saucepan, melt butter for topping. Add brown sugar and heavy cream, stirring for 3-4 minutes until smooth and thickened.
- Add Vanilla: Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract to enhance flavor.
- Assemble Topping Base: Pour caramel topping into a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread chopped pecans evenly over it.
- Roll Out Dough: Punch down risen dough and roll into a 12×9 inch rectangle on a floured surface.
- Spread Filling: Evenly spread the cinnamon filling over the dough, leaving a small border around edges.
- Roll and Cut: Roll dough tightly from longer side into a log and cut into 9-12 equal pieces.
- Arrange Rolls: Place cinnamon rolls in baking dish on top of caramel-pecan mixture, leaving space between each.
- Second Rise: Cover dish with towel and let rolls rise for 30-45 minutes or until puffed up, allowing rolls to become light and airy.
- Preheat Oven: Set oven to 350°F (175°C) preparing for baking.
- Bake Rolls: Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Cover top with foil if browning too quickly in last 5 minutes.
- Cool Slightly and Serve: Let buns cool 5 minutes, then invert onto serving platter to release sticky pecan topping carefully as caramel will be hot.
- Enjoy: Serve warm for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Make sure milk is warm but not hot to activate yeast properly without killing it.
- If dough is sticky during kneading, add a little flour gradually but avoid making dough too dry.
- You can substitute pecans with walnuts if preferred.
- If caramel cools too much and thickens before assembly, gently reheat to make it pourable.
- For extra gooey buns, drizzle any leftover caramel topping on before serving.
- Cover rolls with foil if tops brown too fast to avoid burning.
