Every time I visit my grandparents they have something similar to this sticky bun out for breakfast. My grandma always kept a backup dish of them in the freezer to thaw out at a moment's notice. Whenever I would devour these at my grandma's house I always thought they must be very challenging to make - time consuming, etc. At Thanksgiving a couple years ago my grandma asked if I wanted to learn how to make them - and I thought OMG(!) she is going to share the magical recipe!! Turns out not so much magic was involved as she purchased ready made dough and just mixed up the topping in a saucepan, easy peasy.
I was a little intimated by this recipe at first glance as I haven't made sticky dough before however I was pleasantly surprised how easy everything came together. This recipe was so fun to make - especially the dough and something I can't wait to make with my son. If you have kids they would have a blast getting their hands all sticky from kneading the dough. I ended up adding 3 cups of dry ingredients (the recipe called for 3 to 3 1/2 cups). I kneaded the dough for exactly 5 minutes and it was nice and smooth. I wanted to keep going but I knew over-kneading would lead to tough dough so I stopped myself.
While the dough was resting I made the pecan brownies (see my previous post) and prepped the sugar-pecan topping. I took the dough out after about 2 1/2 hours in the fridge. I punched it down and rolled it out. I knew it would be important to have the measurements right once rolled out (15in x12in) and thank god I double checked as I was over a few inches. I brushed the butter on the dough and sprinkled the sugar and cinnamon; I did stray from the recipe a bit here and added a tad more cinnamon because I love it. I then rolled the dough up and cut the buns. A tip that I wish I had at this point was a recommendation on the best knife to cut the buns. My chef knife is not sharp right now and so I went with a steak night which ended up working fine.
I carefully placed the buns in the baking dish and let them sit 40 minutes and then into the oven they went. Pulled them out and got impatient and flipped the baking dish onto the cookie sheet just a few minutes early. What happened when I did this is the topping oozed on over the edges of the buns so I quickly flipped them back into the baking dish and let them sit for another 5 minutes. Note to self: patience. Next time I make these (which will be very soon, possibly as soon as this weekend because they are so good!) I will let them sit in the baking dish at least 10 minutes before flipping. I will also chop up the pecans a bit more and sprinkle more generously in the center of the dish versus the edges. And finally when rolling up the dough I will roll it tighter - the sugar/cinnamon mixture was falling out when I transferred the buns from the table to the baking dish. To make sure the flavor was still there I just took that mix and sprinkled it on the buns once placed in the dish.
The result: AMAZEBALLS! This has been my favorite recipe to make and eat thus far. I know when something is good when my husband eats them for breakfast because he never eats breakfast nor does he really have a sweet tooth. They melted in my mouth and the ratio of dough to the rest of the ingredients was perfect. You will definitely want to eat these warm so the next day just toss one in the microwave for about 25 seconds and enjoy.
For full recipe: See page 103 in the Dahlia Bakery cookbook.
