Scratch-baked soft and buttery breakfast buns that are filled with cinnamon sugar and coated in a sweet sticky glaze with pecans all over and throughout. Talk about a terrific way to start your day!
I don’t know if I can even put into words how amazing these buns are, y’all! You just have to bake and taste them for yourself to truly understand what I mean when I say they are out of this world amazing!
The dough is soft and bakes up with a bit of a crisp on the outside edges while the insides are buttery and sweet, and they’re coated in a gooey glaze with plenty of pecans in every decadent bite.
The process is simple, but two rises are required to get that soft delicious dough. If you plan ahead, they’re well worth the wait. Here’s how they’re made and baked…
You could definitely make them the night and just cover them in plastic wrap and place in the fridge before the second rise. When you’re ready to bake them, remove them from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature and continue to rise before baking them as directed.
It’s hard to beat these babies warm out of the oven. Accompanied by a big breakfast spread or just a hot cup of coffee, they’re a sure sweet way to start the day!
I absolutely adore these buns and can’t wait to bake them again and again for weekend breakfasts/brunches and special occasions! Simply delicious!
Enjoy!
~Maegan
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup light corn syrup
- ¾ cup pecan pieces
- For the dough: In a large bowl, melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
- Add the yeast and sugar to a small bowl. Gently pour the warm water over it. Let proof until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Once butter is slightly cooled, whisk in the milk, egg and yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and stir until well combined. Using well-floured hands, form dough into a moist ball. Place in a buttered bowl and cover tightly in plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1/2 hours.
- Make the filling: Melt the butter in a small bowl & let slightly cool before stirring in the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Gently punch down on the risen dough to release the air bubbles. Roll it out onto a well-floured surface to a 15x10-inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the filling and sprinkle evenly with the ½ cup chopped pecans.
- Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the edge against the side of the roll. Using a serrated knife cut the roll of dough into 12 slices.
- Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and pecan pieces. Spread sauce evenly into the bottom of a buttered 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Place the roll slices, cut side down, slightly apart on top of the sauce. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake sticky buns for 25-30 minutes or until they start to turn golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate to serve.
Mmmm 🙂 I can smell these already! These remind me of my grandma and Christmas morning!
Thanks Jennifer! They’re so perfect for Christmas morning with the family! 🙂
WOW these look so good! I could just imagine the caramel and pecan stickiness, ooh and that cinnamon – and the smell as they came out of the oven. So perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning! (or anytime of day really – wish I had one now!) 🙂
Hello,
I don’t think I can find corn syrup in Bosnia, can I use agave nectar or maple syrup instead?
Hi Danni! Yes, you can use agave nectar, but it is much sweeter so it’s usually recommended to only use half the amount and maybe increase the butter to get the right consistency. Maple syrup or honey are other great substitutes too. Or you can replace the 1/3 cup light corn syrup with 1/2 cup granulated sugar dissolved in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hot water. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
I want to make these ahead and freeze. How far do I take the rolls? Can I freeze after last rise in pans with Carmel topping? So many questions.. thank you for your help.
Hi Linda! Sorry I’m just seeing your message. Yes, just prepare them all the way through up until you’re supposed to bake them. Freeze them and then when you’re ready to bake, let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake the next morning. You can also par-bake them for 15 minutes, let cool, wrap and freeze. When you’re ready to bake them completely, just let defrost overnight and bake for another 15 minutes until they’re light golden brown all over. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Hi, I make homemade cinnamon rolls all the time. I was recently ask by a friend to make her some pecan caramel rolls/sticky buns. She had sent me a video with Guy Fieri where they were making them. So, I made them for her. I know that these are best when just slightly cooled out of the oven. But, anyway, I knew that I couldn’t get them to her until they were completely cold. The caramel seemed to have hardened more than I wanted. But, a little warning in the microwave, should have softened it. So, my question for you about your recipe is, after your sticky buns have gotten completely cold, does the caramelization harden as I described with mine? I’m wanting mine to be more like a caramel sauce you would drizzle on. Can you help?
Hi Ronald! The filling and glaze on these sticky buns remain nice and gooey. Enjoy!