Pecan Sticky Buns

The perfect gooey breakfast recipe, these Pecan Sticky Buns are a household hit that the whole family loves.

If you are a cinnamon roll fan, then you will absolutely fall in love with these Pecan Sticky Buns.

I’m big on breakfast around here and I really don’t care if it is savory or sweet as we switch between them all the time.

But these Pecan Sticky Buns have always been a family favorite and we try to keep them rotating on our breakfast menu. But they are good any time of day, even dessert!

With your normal cinnamon roll filling you add a gooey topping with chopped pecans that is absolutely irresistible.

If you are afraid to work with yeast, don’t be! I used to be afraid but practice makes perfect and you will get it down!

Have you been dreaming about that perfect breakfast recipe? Then you need to add these Pecan Sticky Buns to your must make list.

Some of my other favorite sweet breakfast recipes that we have on our site include: Powdered Sugar Donuts, Danish Kringle and Cinnamon Roll Muffins.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

• The flavors work so well together, you will want more and more.
• These are a family hit and everyone seems to like them.
• They work for so many different occasions.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):

Whole milk
Active dry yeast
All-purpose flour
Granulated sugar
Salt
Unsalted butter
Dark brown sugar, packed
Maple syrup
Heavy whipping cream
Vanilla extract
Pecans
Ground cinnamon

HOW TO MAKE PECAN STICKY BUNS, STEP BY STEP:

1. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. Add yeast and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar to the warmed milk and stir, then set aside.
3. Then, add flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, and salt to a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until combined.
4. Add yeast mixture to the flour mixture and use dough hook to knead until well-combined, about 3 minutes.
5. Lastly, add butter in chunks and continue to knead on low using stand mixer until combined, about 5 minutes.
6. Roll dough into a large ball, place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then allow to rise for at least an hour. (You want the dough to double in size.)
7. While dough is rising, prepare the filling by melting butter and cooling slightly.
8. Then mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
9. Prepare the topping by adding butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a medium saucepan and mix.
10. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beginning to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk in the heavy cream.
11. Pour pecan pieces into bottom of 9×13-inch baking dish in a single layer. Pour prepared topping over pecans, set aside.
12. Flour a work surface and knead dough 5 times folding in half each time.
13. Using a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a large rectangle, about 12×18-inches.
14. Melt ¼ cup butter then brush or spoon over dough, then sprinkle filling over dough in a single layer.
15. Starting on a long side, roll the dough tightly, then pinching the seams shut.
16. Slice into 12 equal pieces.
17. Place rolls cut side up onto pecan pieces in baking dish.
18. Cover and allow to rise at least an hour or until doubled in size again.
19. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
20. Bake for 24-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
21. Carefully invert immediately onto baking sheet or separate pan and serve.

HOW WARM DO I WANT MY MILK TO BE FOR THE YEAST?

We always recommend that you heat your milk to 100-110 degrees F. You can check this with a kitchen thermometer.

You want this temperature because if it is too cold the yeast will not activate and if too hot it will kill the yeast.

HOW LONG IN TOTAL DOES MY DOUGH NEED TO RISE?

We are doing 2 rises for this recipe, the first rise will be once the dough is assembled and you will let it rise for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

The next rise will be once the buns have been assembled and placed in the baking dish and you will have them rise for another hour.

So in total you will roughly have your dough rise for 2 hours for this recipe.

CAN I USE ANOTHER NUT FOR THIS RECIPE?

We have substituted walnuts for this recipe and they work great as well, we have not tried with any other nut.

You can also omit the nuts and just have the nice caramel sticky topping as well.

CAN THESE PECAN STICKY ROLLS BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can make the rolls ahead of time without baking them.

What you want to do is do all the steps up to cutting and placing in the pan. Instead of letting them rise, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight anywhere from 8-12 hours.

Then remove from the refrigerator and bake as directed. The will rise in the refrigerator overnight in order for you to bake in the morning.

HOW TO STORE:

These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature where they will keep for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for 5 days.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe as when defrosted the pecan layer because a weird mess.

To reheat, place in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to soften and warm before serving.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

• You can use walnuts instead of pecans for this, or use no nuts at all.
• Make sure you let the dough rise a second time.
• These can be made ahead of time, see above on how to do that.
• Make sure your milk is between 100-110 degrees F.
• Using a serrated knife yields the best cuts when cutting the dough.
• Make sure that you are using active dry yeast.
• We do not recommend freezing this recipe.

When it comes to a delicious breakfast recipe, you absolutely cannot pass up these Pecan Sticky Buns.

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Mixed Berry Danishes
• Almond Croissants
• Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Easy Pecan Sticky Buns

If you’ve tried these PECAN STICKY BUNS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!