An easy buttermilk sticky buns recipe from scratch with instant yeast made in just 15 minutes. These classic holiday buns take 30 minutes to bake up warm and fluffy in the oven. It’s then covered in a rich caramel glaze that’s made with Tony Chachere’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade, butter, and pecans. Serve this classic sweet bread roll for brunch or breakfast.
Christmas is just weeks away and if you aren’t sure what to make for a family breakfast, think no more. My sticky buns recipe will leave you wanting to make the classic pasty a tradition in your home.
When it comes to holiday baking and hosting, I traditionally go all out for the occasion. However, it’s always nice to save time on recipes, especially when you’re baking a traditional Christmas Day spread that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. You won’t miss cinnamon rolls once you try these deeply rich sticky yeast buns.
HOW TO MAKE PECAN STICKY BUNS
- Mix yeast in warm water.
- Combine dry ingredients.
- Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and butter in yeast mixture.
- Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
- Turn dough onto board and knead into a smooth ball.
- Roll dough into 10-inch by 14-inch rectangle.
- Pat brown sugar, pecan and butter filling into the center.
- Roll dough and cut into 9 rolls.
- Bake in oven at 375°F for 30 minutes.
- Boil Tony Chachere’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade and butter to 230°F.
- Stir in cinnamon and baking soda.
- Pour sticky buns with caramel sauce. Top with pecans.
STICKY BUNS INGREDIENTS
■ PECANS: Use fresh pecans if it’s the first of the season you are using them. Pecans go bad so be sure to taste them (any bags you have in the pantry) first before using them in the sticky buns recipe. Finely chop them or ground them in the food processor.
■ YEAST: The perfect sticky buns are made with yeast. Use a fresh packet of the blue envelope of instant yeast. The dough will not need to proof and is ready to work with immediately.
■ FLOUR: All-purpose flour works well. More flour may be added when kneading the dough if it is too sticky. Anywhere from ¼ cup to ⅓ cup.
■ BUTTER: I use a good quality unsalted butter to make dough bread. Butter is used in the yeast dough, filling, and topping. Be sure to pick a brand you like best for the best tasting results.
■ BROWN SUGAR: Dark brown sugar gives the breakfast buns a delicious molasses flavor.
■ CARAMEL SAUCE: The perfect homemade caramel sauce for sticky buns is made with Tony Chachere’s Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade. Find this ingredient in the marinades aisle in a bottle or buy it online here.
■ CINNAMON: Sweet yeast bread with brown sugar taste delicious with cinnamon. Add this warm spice to the filling and topping for the best flavor.
■ BAKING SODA: Adding baking soda to the candied sauce at the end of cooking will soften the texture of the sauce for the rolls.
CARAMEL STICKY BUN QUESTIONS AND TIPS
How warm should the water be for the yeast? The water should be warm to the touch but not hot. A temperature of 120°F-130°F is ideal for yeast. Use a kitchen or meat thermometer to ensure the yeast is set in the correct conditions.
I don’t have a candy thermometer. How else can I tell the caramel sauce is thick enough? Turn the stovetop up to high. The sauce will boil and foam then become thick. Continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced in liquid and thickened.
Can I make the sticky buns ahead of time and freeze them? Yes. The dough can be made in advance. You’ll want to flash freeze the cut rolls right on a baking sheet with parchment paper in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Then, individually wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight ziplock bag.
How long do the sticky buns keep frozen? The dough (before baking) will keep for up to one month when sealed correctly.
Want more Christmas dessert recipes? Try this homemade Moose Munch recipe next. It’s a homemade caramel corn recipe with pecans and chocolate.
Pecan Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 tbsp warm water
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast 1 envelope
- 3 cups all-purpose flour up to ⅓ cup extra flour may be used if sticky* see notes¼
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped
Topping
- 1½ cups Tony Chachere's Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup pecans
Glaze – optional
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch glass baking pan with soft butter.
- In a medium bowl, combine water and yeast.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In yeast bowl, whisk in buttermilk, egg, and melted butter until smooth.
- Stir in flour mixture until absorbed.
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Knead dough by pushing it into a ball on the surface and turning it; 8-12 times or until smooth.
- Roll out dough to 12" by 10" rectangle using a rolling pin. TIP: Roll dough slightly larger than 12" by 10" then use hands to gently pat and bring in all the edges until flush and nearly square.
- Brush dough with 1 tbsp melted butter.
- Combine brown sugar and cinnamon then evenly sprinkle over the top of the butter. Sprinkle with toasted pecans. Lightly pat filling into dough.
- Roll the dough up tightly without pulling it. Start at one long end and roll the dough to the other side. Pinch the seams together then place seam side down.
- Cut dough roll into 9 pieces.
- Bake uncovered in oven for 30 minutes or until slightly golden brown on top.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and Tony Chachere's Praline Honey Ham Injectable Marinade. Bring to a boil. Cook until mixture reaches 230°F and sauce is thickened; about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and cinnamon.TIP: Make the topping once the buns are out of the oven.
- Evenly spread glaze on top of the sticky buns. Top with chopped pecans. Allow topping to slightly cool.
- To make the glaze, stir powdered sugar and water together until smooth. Drizzle over the top of buns with a spoon.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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