Sticky Buns

One sticky bun on a white plate with a fork.

No ratings yet

These sticky buns are super soft, gooey, and perfectly sticky, but not overly sweet! They’re made with homemade dough, rich caramel, and crunchy pecans that make them extra special.

Prep Time30

Cook Time28

Resting time1 45

Total Time2 43

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Julie Maestre

Equipment

9x13 baking dish

Ingredients

4 ½ - 5 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons INSTANT dry yeast see notes
1 cup warm whole milk not over 110F (see notes)
6 tbsp salted butter melted
2 large eggs

Sticky Caramel Topping

1/2 cup salted butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup honey
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Sticky Bun Filling

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup salted butter softened

Instructions

Making the Dough

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer stir together 4 ½ cups of the flour, ½ cup sugar, and 2 teaspoons of instant yeast.
Pour in the warm milk, melted butter, and 2 eggs.
Using the dough hook attachment, turn the stand mixer on low to combine all the ingredients. Once the ingredients come together you can increase the speed to medium (level 4 on a KitchenAid Stand Mixer).
Continue to let the dough hook knead the dough for 5-6 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the sides or bottom of the bowl, you can add a tablespoon at a time of more flour just until it stops sticking. The dough shouldn't be too dry, it should be slightly sticky.
If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook you can knead by hand. Kneading by hand will take about 10-15 minutes until you get a smooth elastic ball of dough with no lumps.
Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in a warm spot away from drafts to allow it to double in size, about 1 ½ - 2 hours. While waiting, make the Sticky Caramel Topping and the Sticky Bun Filling.

Making the Topping

Grease the sides of a 9x13 baking pan (I used a metal baking pan for best heat transfer).
In a small saucepan add the butter, brown sugar, whole milk, and honey. Turn the heat up to medium and cook with some stirring until the mixture begins to boil, about 4 minutes (it will seem like it is really boiling, this is normal).
Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the caramel sauce evenly into the prepared 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle the chopped roasted nuts on top of the caramel mixture, then set the pan aside.

Making the Filling

Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside. (The butter will be used later in assembly)

Assembling the Sticky Buns

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Once the dough has doubled in size gently release the air by pressing down on the dough. Bring the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangular shape approximately 12”x18”. You can adjust the edges with your hands if necessary to get it as rectangular as possible.
Evenly spread out the soft butter over the rolled-out dough leaving a small border around the edge approximately 1” wide. (I now realize you only need the 1” border on the long sides, not the short sides, but that’s what I did – you get less cinnamon sugar on the end rolls if you leave a 1” wide border on the short ends – not the end of the world)
Sprinkle the sticky bun filling (sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mixture) evenly over the butter
Tightly roll up the dough starting at one of the long ends. Pinch the seam together.
Cut the 18” log into 12 even pieces using a sharp serrated knife. (I see some people use dental floss but this did not work for me). See notes for getting even slices.
Place the 12 cut rolls into the prepared pan and on top of the nuts and caramel.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise again (about 15-30 minutes). The rolls should puff up a bit, and once they are touching each other remove the plastic wrap and place the pan in the 350F oven. Bake for 28-30 minutes. The tops should be browned a bit and an instant read thermometer placed into the middle roll should read 180F or more. If the buns are browning too fast you can tent some aluminum foil over them.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the buns cool for about 5 minutes, but not completely.
Place a suitable serving platter or baking sheet over the buns, and in one quick motion flip the pan so that the rolls are now sitting on the serving platter (the tops of the buns are now the bottoms of the buns). Let the 9x13 pan sit on top for a minute or two to allow as much of the caramel to drip down on top of the buns.
Remove the 9x13 pan.
Sticky buns are best served warm. Enjoy!

Notes

Many people use knives or dough cutters, but I find dental floss works best, it cuts cleanly without flattening the rolls.
Make sure the yeast isn't expired, always check the date before using it. Expired yeast can ruin the entire recipe!
Use a ruler to measure for best results.
Don't over bake the rolls, otherwise they'll turn out dry and hard. Bake the rolls until they're golden brown or until the center of the rolls reach an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.
Serve the rolls warm for best results!
If your dough is too sticky, feel free to mix in a tablespoon of flour. The dough shouldn't be too dry, it should be slightly sticky.

Nutrition