Recipe By Suzanne Virgilio

During the years when our bakery was open for retail, our sticky buns were always one of the most-demanded pastries by our customers. Though our customers loved them, making sticky buns is very labor intensive. Because of the long baking process, sticky buns were offered once a month at the bakery, and they would always sell out.

As you will see with this recipe, baking sticky buns is not for the faint of heart. But if you have the time and energy to bake them, you will be rewarded with a pastry that has unique flavor, texture and an aroma that will have you waiting by the oven until the timer finally goes off.

Pouring the topping into the muffin pan.

Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar filling

Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough

Once the cinnamon sugar is spread on dough, sprinkle with granola.

Use a knife to make cut marks for equally-portioned buns

Wiggle the string under the dough and use it to cut into equal portions

Buns should be cut into equal portions

Once you’ve added the buns to the pan, place in warm area in kitchen and allow them to rise for an hour.

Withing the first few minutes of removing the buns from the oven, invert the pan onto a tray.

Honey Pecan Sticky Buns

Requires 1-2 days to complete

Oven 375 degrees

Bakes 25 to 30 minutes

Makes 1 dozen, 4–inch buns

Ingredients For Dough

• 1 pkg active dry yeast
• 2 cups warm water
•  ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp butter – softened
• 2 eggs – beaten
• 3 ¼ – 3 ½ cups flour

Ingredients For Sticky Topping

• 2/3-cup butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp light or dark corn syrup
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 1 cup Granola Factory Honey Pecan Granola

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Granola Factory Honey Pecan Granola
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• flour for dusting work surface

Making The Dough

Use the ingredients that correspond with the “dough” section

1. In a large mixing bowl combine the yeast with 2 cups warm water. Stir until dissolved.
2. To the yeast/water mixture, add the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 4 Tbsp. softened butter and 2 beaten eggs. Stir with a rubber spatula until well combined
3. Begin adding the flour 1 cup at a time and stir after each addition. Continue adding flour until you have a dough that is easy to handle. Dough will be soft and slightly sticky. You may only have to add 3 to 3 1/4 cups of flour.  Remember the rule for flour is…YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD MORE BUT ONCE IT’S IN THE DOUGH, YOU CAN’T TAKE IT OUT!
4. Spray the inside of a Ziploc bag with vegetable spray and place completed dough into bag. Press the air out of bag and seal.
5. Refrigerate dough several hours or overnight.

Preparing the Sticky Buns for Baking

Use the ingredients that correspond with the “sticky topping” section

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 1 dozen, 4–inch muffin pans with vegetable spray.
2. In a medium saucepan or microwave, combine the butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Heat until butter is melted then stir to combine.  Divide mixture among 1 dozen muffin pans.
3. In a medium bowl, combine honey pecan granola and the cup of chopped pecans. Distribute granola mixture evenly into the muffin cups. Set aside.

Making the Filling and Rolling Out The Buns

Use the ingredient amounts that correspond with the “cinnamon sugar filling” section.

1. Divide dough in half; work with one half at a time.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter and set aside.
3. In a small bowl combine sugar, granola and cinnamon – stir to combine
4. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15 X 9 inch oblong.
5. Brush dough with melted butter and sprinkle with the granola/sugar mixture.
6. Starting at wide side, roll up dough, “jelly-roll” style, folding in edges to seal sides.
7. Roll dough tightly so buns stay rolled when cut
8. For cutting buns, first mark rolled dough into 6 equal portions. Now to cut bun, get a double length of sewing thread and tie into a knot so the dough keeps its double thickness. Slide thread under rolled dough and “criss-cross thread to make a clean cut of the dough.
9. Place cut buns on top of sticky topping in muffin pan.
10. Repeat steps with other half of dough.
11. Place muffin pans on parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in a warm part of kitchen and allow buns to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
12. Once dough has risen, place in preheated oven and bake 25 – 30 minutes.
13. When baking is complete, carefully invert buns onto parchment-lined baking sheet, taking care to avoid the very hot sticky topping. *Invert the buns within the first few minutes of taking them out of the oven.

Now that the work is done, bite into one of the best-tasting pastries you’ve ever had!