These Pecan Brioche Sticky Buns are made with a rich brioche dough then baked in a sticky caramel pecan sauce that’s sure to make your breakfast special.
Well I feel so behind lately.
The Seattle area has been having beyond weird weather for us lately and the city is not adjusting all that well and neither am I.
Now I am from cold weather country, and snow and ice are usually not a problem.
The problem is that up there in the Nordic tundra you have appropriate clothing and more important appropriate vehicles to drive in.
Currently we drive a Ford Focus(we only have one car because hubby takes the bus to work and we are trying to be more enviro-friendly).
Anyway, Ford Focus plus ice equals driving in a zig-zag when I am trying to drive straight.
So the grocery store I have not been to and so my staples are getting quite depleted.
I saw the other day on Cooking is Medicine that she made cinnamon rolls from Baking: From My Home to Yours.
She said her brioche was a little dry (the loaf she made, not the buns) and so I had to give it a try myself.
I chose to make the pecan sticky buns because I have to reach my goal of 16 pounds gained.
And this will help me get there quicker 😉
Now, the recipe calls for 3 sticks of butter.
Some people squawk at this idea, where I don’t even bat an eye.
Three sticks of butter just equals darn good to me.
I didn’t find this to be dry at all(both the buns and bread I made for dinner that night).Â
The sticky buns were over the top and I did eat half the pan.
When our crazy weather decides to clear up I see eclairs and cream puffs in my future.
Want More Breakfast Roll Recipes?
Pineapple Upside Down Sticky Buns
Peach Amaretto Laminated Brioche Buns
Bourbon Butterscotch Sweet Rolls
Chocolate Clementine Sweet Rolls
Pecan Brioche Sticky Buns
Ingredients
- Golden Brioche Loaves
- make dough one day ahead then shape and bake the next
- 2 packets active dry yeast (4 teaspoons)
- 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch water
- 1/3 cup just-warm-to-the-touch while milk (I used skim)
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature but still slightly firm
- For the Glaze
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cup pecans
- For the Filling
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 TBSP packed light brown sugar
- 1 TBSP ground cinnamon
- 3 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- For the Brioche:
- Put the yeast, water, and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved.
- Add the flour and salt, and fit the mixer with the dough hook, if you have one.
- Toss a kitchen towel over the mixer, covering the bowl as completely as you can to keep you from being covered in flour!
- Turn the mixer on and off in a few short pulses, just to dampen the flour (you can peek), then remove the towel, increase mixer speed to medium-low and mix for a minute or two. At this point you will have a dry, shaggy mess (it’s true).
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula, set the mixer to low and add the eggs, followed by the sugar.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough forms a ball. Reduce speed to low and add the butter in 2 Tablespoon size chunks, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding the next. You’ll have a dough that is very soft, almost like a batter. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes (This made my heavy kitchenaid mixer “dance” across the counter, so you may want to listen and be available to steady the mixer).
- Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, 40-60 minutes.
- Deflate the dough by lifting it up around the edges and letting it fall with a slap into the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 minutes until it stops rising, about 2 hours, then leave the covered dough in the refrigerator overnight.
- If making Brioche loaves: Butter and flour 2 8.5 X 4.5 inch loaf pans. Pull dough from the fridge and divide into two equal pieces. Cut each piece of dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece into a log about 3.5 inches long. Arrange 4 logs crosswise in the bottom of each pan. Put the pans on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone mat, cover the pans lightly with wax paper and leave the loaves at room temperature until dough fills pans.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until loaves are well risen and deeply golden, about 30-35 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pans and turn the loaves out onto cooling racks. Cool at least one hour.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 into the buttered pan, evening it out as best you can by tilting the pan or spreading the glaze with a heatproof spatula. Sprinkle over the pecans.
- To Make the Sticky Buns:
- To Make the Filling: Mix together the sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If necessary, in another bowl, work the butter with a spatula until it is soft, smooth and spreadable.
- To shape the Buns:
- On a flour-dusted work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 16-inch square.
- Using your fingers or pastry brush, spread the softened butter over the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1 inch strip bare on the side farthest from you.
- Starting with the side nearest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder, keeping the roll as tight as you can.With a chef’s knife, using a gentle sawing motion, trim just a tiny bit from the ends of the rolls if they’re very ragged or not well filled, then cut the log into 1-inch-thick buns.
- Fit the buns into the pan cut side down, leaving some space between them.Lightly cover the pan with a piece of wax paper and set the pan in a warm place until the buns have doubled in volume, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- The buns are properly risen when they are puffy, soft, doubled and,in all likelihood, touching each other.
- Getting Ready to Bake:
- When the buns have almost fully risen, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375F.
- 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 or until they are puffed and gorgeously golden: the glaze will be bubbling way merrily. Pull the pan from the oven.
- The sticky buns must be unmolded minutes after they come out of the oven. If you do not have a rimmed platter large enough to hold them, use a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or butter foil. Be careful-the glaze is super-hot and super-sticky.
Notes
Source: Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan
Tanna says
Peabody, I do mean you are totally out of sight! Wow that does look like a really sticky situation…I’m sure I could have lent you a hand if only you’d called me. Now mind, I couldn’t have been any help with the driving but the buns … well, yes I could have manage them. They do look stickily divine.
Brilynn says
I’m getting closer and closer to making those sticky buns… mmmmm sticky….
Abby says
It’s finally cold here in N.C. It was 70-plus degrees here last week, and that NEVER happens! But now, winter has arrived. And I want one of your buns with my hot coffee, please.
Claire says
Glad you checked it out! I really liked this recipe for the cinnamon rolls. I think the reason my bread seemed dry was because I had the heel piece. Daddy really liked it. you pictures are beautiful!
Jann says
Oh-my-Gawd-how did you do this? It is perfect and my mouth is wide open ready to stuff some of that sticky stuff right in there-beautiful!
Jenny says
Those look amazingly good, like something I should make this weekend. 🙂
For some reason I’m having a hard time with the visualization of placing the 4 dough logs in the pan crosswise for making the loaf. Guess when I make it, I’ll just have to make a double batch of the buns!
Ivonne says
3 sticks of butter.
Pah! That’s nothing! And good for you for not batting an eye.
These buns look glorious. And I hope to see many eclairs and cream puffs in your future as well!
Lauren says
I gained weight just looking at these pictures… they must have been sooo good.
bea at La tartine gourmande says
so weird, we have hardly any winter down here! What a treat that is! I love how shiny the nuts are…and funny I made éclairs last week ;-), in fact religieuse…
jasmine says
Oh my! I have no idea what to say–beautiful pictures of wonderful pastries…
yum!
j
Natalia says
Yum! I love that last picture. The sticky buns seem to go on and on forever.
Kirsten says
Oh Peabody!!
My mouth watered looking at these vividly yummy photos. So delicious. I love sticky buns really gooey and sticky, so these look just perfect.
Safe driving and I hope things warm up soon!
VallartaTiffany says
Oh heavens this looks sinful, I must quickly print this recipe!
Patricia Scarpin says
Your sticky brioches are wonderful, Peabody!
I printed a recipe for sticky buns from Williams-Sonoma website but I haven’t tried it yet. I always postpone it ’cause I forget the one day ahead making thing.
Lisa says
I can almost smell the cinnamon… God. Since I can’t be bad very often anymore.. I think I’ll save this for one of those times when being bad is the only thing I can accomplish. 😉
Jeff says
This is the first year my wife can’t gripe that Boston is colder than Seattle!! muahahaha!
joey says
Whoa! I wish I could just stick my hand in the computer screen and grab one! They look amazing 🙂
sandi @ the whistlestop cafe says
I think my screen and keyboard are sticky. You are awesome!
Kristen says
You are my kind of cook! 3 sticks of butter and not batting an eye… right up my alley!
Those look incredible.
veron says
Pecans and Brown sugar …Yum!
gattina says
oh they’re finger licking good! I think there’re 4 sticks of butter all together! I think I’m gonna kick Paula away, I want you Peabody!!!
But I’m afraid I have to give your brioche a miss, it’s not easy to be done by hand, dough too sticky…
maura says
Holy sh…this looks good!
Koren says
I finally made these over the weekend and they are amazing. I think of myself as a pretty good baker and I even impressed myself with these. Thanks so much for the inspiration to make sticky buns.
PATRICIA says
Cancel the first e-mail, got it. Duh!!!
Holly says
I’m excited to see that these were so good. I just started my brioche this morning.
jan says
I like how you use skim milk…so they have 650 calories instead of 700 LOL. Anyways, they look delish!