By Yossy Arefi
- Total Time
- About 1 hour, plus 2¾ hours’ rising and chilling
- Rating
- 5(526)
- Notes
- Read community notes
These rich and cozy sticky buns packed with warm spices, caramel and plenty of toasted pecans are just the thing for a special-occasion brunch. You can make the dough up to a day in advance, but if you’d rather prepare and bake the rolls on the same day, make sure to leave some time for the dough to chill — it is much easier to roll into a nice and tidy spiral when cold. Walnuts would work just as well as pecans, and a little bit of orange zest in the filling would add a nice citrusy punch, too.
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Ingredients
Yield:12 rolls
- 2teaspoons/6 grams active dry yeast
- 1cup buttermilk/240 grams, warmed to 100 degrees
- 2tablespoons/25 grams granulated sugar
- 4¼cups/544 grams all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1¼teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 8tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into large pieces, plus more for greasing bowl
- 3large eggs, lightly beaten
- ½cup/170 grams/maple syrup
- ½cup/100 grams packed light brown sugar
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 2cups/200 grams toasted chopped pecans
- ⅔cup/133 grams packed light brown sugar
- 1tablespoon cinnamon
- 1teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 6tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, very soft
For the Dough
For the Topping
For the Filling
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
598 calories; 33 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 31 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 362 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the dough: Combine the yeast, buttermilk and 1 tablespoon sugar, and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Step
2
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, salt and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir to combine, then add the butter and toss to coat in the flour. Add the eggs and buttermilk mixture, then mix on low to combine, about 1 or 2 minutes.
Step
3
Increase speed to medium, and mix the dough until it is soft, billowy and clearing the sides of the bowl, but still sticking to the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. If the dough seems very, very soft and still sticks to the sides of the bowl, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time (up to about 4 tablespoons).
Step
4
Lightly grease a separate large bowl with butter and transfer the dough to it. Turn the dough to coat with butter, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour, then refrigerate the dough for 1 hour more. (Alternately, refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours after the first rise, then proceed with the recipe as written.)
Step
5
When you are ready to bake the rolls, make the topping: In a medium saucepan (to prevent boiling over), combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter and salt. Bring to a boil over medium and cook for 1 minute. The mixture will thicken slightly. Pour the mixture into a metal 9-by-13-inch baking pan and tilt the pan to evenly cover the bottom with the syrup. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top, and set aside.
Step
6
Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
Step
7
Assemble the rolls: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat or roll it into a 12-by-16-inch rectangle that’s ¼-inch thick. Gently spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving about 1 inch of unbuttered dough on the long edge furthest from you. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the top of the butter. From the long end closest to you, roll the dough into a tight log. With the seam side down, use a serrated knife or length of floss to cut the log into 12 even pieces.
Step
8
Place the rolls spiral side up into the prepared pan, cover and let rise until puffy but not quite doubled in size, about 45 minutes. (This may take a little longer if you refrigerated the dough for longer than 1 hour after the first rise.) If you’d like to bake them later, you can refrigerate the rolls in the pan before this second rise for up to 24 hours. Let the rolls rise at room temperature until almost doubled in size before baking. They will take longer to rise after chilling, depending on the ambient temperature.
Step
9
Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake rolls for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and the caramel is bubbling a bit around the edges. Carefully run an offset spatula or thin knife around the edges of the pan. Let the rolls cool in the pan on a rack for about 5 minutes, then flip them out onto a serving tray or sheet pan. Let cool for a minute or two, then enjoy warm.
Ratings
5
out of 5
526
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
june
Robert:Just use a hand held mixer, or a big spoon, even, and of course, your hands!I have never had a stand mixer, and probably never will, but that does not stop me from making very delicious baked goods, despite what you read in NYT.
Pam Goodland
I’ve made many loaves of bread with a wooden spoon and a large bowl. Good workout. Works fine.
JMR
@Robert5 Use a wooden spoon and a whisk. Or, there's a really great implement called a Danish Bread Making Whisk which I got on Amazon that is brilliant for this type of dough.
Char
These are spectacular. I served them with Christmas brunch, and they were the most raved about dish. Made it just as the recipe called for, with the first rise on the counter, the second rise overnight in the fridge, and the third rise right before baking.
Pat Johnson
I used fed starter, 200gms, 1/2 tsp yeast and rest same. After mixing dough I left it overnight in cooler basem*nt. Next day made topping, filling and put together rolls into 2-9"round cake pans. Covered and put in refrigerator overnight. Next morning I put 1 pan in freezer bag and froze. 2nd needed 3 hours to rise. Baked at 350 for 29 minutes. Last night I pulled out 2nd frozen pan, covered with tea towel to rise overnight on counter. This morning, baked for husband's 65th birthday. Happy man!
Emily
Diamond crystal kosher salt has larger flakes than other brands of kosher salt - you want to use about half the amount or go by weight if using table salt or another brand of kosher salt!
Jean louis LONNE
I also bought the Danish bread making 'whisk', though its more of a strange formed wire apparatus. Now use it for any dough, not sure why it works so well, but a few turns and 'voila' your dough is ready. A lot less to clean up.
eeisner
Rob, it sounds like your caramel got overcooked at some point -- possibly by boiling it too long on the stove top or maybe if your baking pan was on a very low shelf in the oven. Caramel can be fussy stuff!
PRA
Love these! A beautiful dough: tender and moist bun. I put them in 2 9" cake pans. Baked one after night in frig and rise on counter and put other in freezer. The first pan I baked didn't seem to rise enough-- delicious, but buns didn't seem tall enough. I defrosted the second pan, heated oven to 200 degrees, turned it off, and put the pan in the oven for about 40 minutes.I let it sit out for another 30 min. and baked. They rose beautifully. Filling and topping perfect!
Libby
First & second rise they rose beautifully. However, I must admit that I made a slight error in judgment by placing them on the lower rack, which resulted in caramelization that was a tad overdone. Nevertheless, the buns were still delicious the best sticky bun recipe I have ever made! Looking forward to making these again with my Danish Bread Making Whisk.
Lynne
These are fantastic sticky buns, now officially christened MAD sticky buns (Most Awesomely Delicious). BTW, I have lived and baked in Sweden for over 30 yrs and have never heard of or seen a Danish Dough Whisk. Neither has my Swedish-born husband. I used the “degrulle’ (dough roller) on my antique Electrolux Assistant machine with perfect results.
Sophie
For the Europeans in here: make sure the Buttermilk is 100° Fahrenheit not Celsius! Haha woops....
willis
Do you keep them covered while you bake them?
M.J.
These were bakery-perfect! Made dough 2 days prior and let it rise the first night in the fridge, then rise again overnight in the fridge after I'd assembled the rolls in the pan. (Halved the recipe and the dough fit in a 9-inch round cake pan and made 8 rolls.) Since other users said they were too sweet, I used slightly less maple syrup and brown sugar than the recipe called for in the topping, and I used dark brown sugar instead of light brown in filling. Added orange zest to filling. SUPERB!
lloyd from detroit
Add some orange zest to the batter
Red Dirt Girl
Not to firm, not too soft, just right. Used some maple sugar with the brown sugar in the filling and family loved it. Definitely a keeper!
Hannah
These were pretty good, albeit very sweet and time-consuming. I couldn’t help but add brown butter to the filling (and a bit more salt). Speaking of salt, I find it hilarious that weight measurements were included for everything BUT the special Diamond Crystal salt - I can’t find anything but Morton around me, but luckily I found an online converter for this recipe. I don’t think I’d make these again, but my husband really loved them for his birthday.
Lee
This is an absolutely perfect recipe with stunning results. I don't change a thing. Better than the bakery's sticky buns!
Susan Walker Conta
Amazing. Really Great.Tender and rich. Delightful exactly as recipe instructs.As I cannot leave well enough alone, however, I added a whole cup of sour cream, used 1/2 cup of coconut flour instead of 1/2 c flour, and same with rye flour for 1/2 c flour. I also added a full cup of almond flour sprinkled on buttered dough before cardamom cinnamon mixture, for a filling with more of a bear-claw type texture. But I always gild the lily.They are simply lovely as-is!
scott
Will this work if I bake them in a large size non-stick muffin tin?
Lizzy
Super yummy! Perfect amount of sweetness, not overwhelming. Wouldn't change a thing
Joe
These turned out great. I added a couple tablespoons of bourbon to the syrup mixture and I think that helped balance the sweetness a bit. I proofed the assembled rolls overnight and baked them in the morning, after giving them about an hour in a warm spot. A lot of the nuts stayed behind in the bottom of the pan, but by working quickly before they cooled too much I was able to spread them evenly over the rolls. It's important to turn the rolls out while they're still very warm.
Ann S Beth
Plan on freezing half for a month or two, because it’s just me and my husband…will this work? And, how long to defrost and let rise once I’m ready to bake them?
PRA
Love these! A beautiful dough: tender and moist bun. I put them in 2 9" cake pans. Baked one after night in frig and rise on counter and put other in freezer. The first pan I baked didn't seem to rise enough-- delicious, but buns didn't seem tall enough. I defrosted the second pan, heated oven to 200 degrees, turned it off, and put the pan in the oven for about 40 minutes.I let it sit out for another 30 min. and baked. They rose beautifully. Filling and topping perfect!
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