TWD: Pecan Honey Sticky Buns

These past few weeks participating in TWD have been so much fun. Even though everything is not successful, I look forward to the weekly baking and posting of the pictures. The comments are so encouraging and I'm thankful for every one of them. Of course, the recipes are wonderful. I was shopping at a nearby Ross store this last week and found Dorie's book on sale for $9.99!!! I snatched it right up. I'm sure it'll make a great gift for someone, if I can bring myself to part with it.

On to the sticky buns. Although they don't look so great, they taste wonderful (they looked magnificent the first time I took them out of the pan -- I had to put them back in the pan and the oven for another 10 minutes because they weren't quite done). The house smells delicious also.



Working with this dough was like working with stretchy butter, it melted at the least touch. In spite of seeming totally fragile, the dough held up and made incredibly delicious and tender sticky buns.

Recipe:

For the Glaze:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup honey
1-1/2 cups pecans (whole or pieces) (I used closer to 2-1/2 cups - some broken up some whole halves)

For the Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (spreadable)

For the Buns:
1/2 recipe dought for Golden Brioche Loaves (page 48 of book), chilled and ready to shape

Generously butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan

To make the glaze: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and honey to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Pour the glaze evenly into the buttered pan. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the glaze.

To make the filling: Mix the sugars and cinnamon together in a bowl.

To shape the buns: On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch strip bar on the side farthest from you. Starting with the side nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can.

With a chef's knive, using a gentle sawing motion, trip just a tiny bit from the roll, to make the ends even. Cut the remaining log into one-inch slices. Fit buns into pan, cut side down, leaving some space between them.

Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Getting ready to bake: When the uns have almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Remove the sheet of wax paper and put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat. Bake the sticky buns for about 30 minutes.

Buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. Careful -- the glaze is super hot and super sticky.