Pecan Stickies Recipes

Steps:

• First you need to make the sweet dough. This can be made days ahead or just when needed. Using the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the melted butter and some of the flour. Add enough flour to make a shaggy dough. You can add more later. Let sit for 10 minutes to hydrate.
• Now using the dough hook of your mixer, start kneading the dough. Add flour until it is tacky. Not sticky, not dry and smooth.Tacky-tacky-tacky. This is one time when tacky is good. Ifs its too dry, spritz water on it. If its still too sticky, add flour about a tablespoon at a time. Knead about 5 minutes. It might not clear the bowl and thats okay.
• Turn out onto a floured counter and knead a couple of times just for good measure. Then place back in the bowl, spritz with oil and cover with a damp towel. It takes longer for sweet dough to raise, so give it 2 hours. It does not have to double in size.
• Meanwhile, lets made the glaze, the stuff, the slurry that goes in the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Put the glaze ingredients except the vanilla, in a small saucepan and heat until all melted and syrupy. Now add the vanilla. Pour into the pan and spread around. Add the pecans or walnuts.
• Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and set aside. (that was easy right?)
• Now, has the dough risen a bit? Puffed? Remember, it doesn't have to be doubled. I usually make it the night before and put it in a big loaf bag (from Smart and Final) to rest in the fridge. It saves me time in the morning. Now its time to roll it out. So flour a counter and begin to roll the dough out into a rectangle. If it resists, let it rest a few minutes and try again. Sometimes the gluten just gets its panties in a twist and doesn't want to play nice. But be patient. If its chilled, it rolls out even easier. You want it about 12 x 16".
• Remember the filling? Once the dough is rolled out, spread the soft butter all over it. Then sprinkle the spiced up sugar all over it as evenly as possible. Once thats done, spritz with a little water to help set it. Don't saturate it, just sprinkle. It will activate the corn starch in the powdered sugar which helps it hold together and not leak out as much. (you could also use a pinch of xanthan gum with this for extra gooeyness.) Another option is to add dried cranberries at this point. I do for special occasions. But not this time.
• Once its ready, begin rolling it up from the long side. Give a gentle tug as you roll. You want it tight enough for the filling not to just fall out, but not too tight or it will do wonky things in the oven. Push the ends in and roll it a couple of times. There, a nice cylinder.
• Cut into 12 nice fat slices. I tend to cut the whole tube in half, then in half again. Then each quarter into thirds. Lay them in rows of three by four in the prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warmish place.
• They will probably be bumping into each other by now. It might take 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat the oven to 350. Now, Cooks Illustrated suggests putting a baking stone on the lower rack of your oven while it preheats. This is to make sure the bottoms of the buns get good and proper baked. Since it has the syrup, it could come out pale and underdone. I don't use the stone, but its a good suggestion. I do put it on the bottom rack though.
• Set the time for 15 minutes. Then rotate the pan, back to front. Not set again for 10 minutes. Keep an eye. It takes 25-30 minutes to bake. Once done, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes-ish. Get a platter or something ready to invert the buns onto. Ready? Set? Go! Put the baking sheet or platter over the buns and invert the whole thing. Use a spatula to scrape out any stubborn slurry that stayed in the pan. It should be a nice soft caramel now.
• Sometimes it comes out perfect as is. Other times it comes out needing more slurry. I've made it a zillion times and couldn't tell you why. Probably because I make it so early in the morning. Anyway, Here is an extra slurry you can make to pour over the tops once they are done. In a saucepan put 3 Tablespoons of brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons of butter, 3 Tablespoons of corn syrup and a pinch of salt. Heat, stirring, until simmery. Take off heat and add 1/4 tsp.vanilla. Pour this over any buns that just need a little something.

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the yeast, buttermilk and 1 tablespoon sugar, and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.)
• 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.
• Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and salt.
• 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 1/4-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.
• 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.
• 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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and corn syrup until combined. Pour into a well-greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with pecans., Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface. Roll into a 12x8-in. rectangle; brush with melted butter. Combine sugars and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges and press into dough. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. , Cut into 12 slices. Place cut side down in prepared pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. , Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm.