Sticky Buns & Fall…they just go together!  There’s something about the warm, gooey carnalized topping combined with soft, fluffy rolls that make me look forward to crisp, cold Fall mornings.  Add a hot cup of coffee & you have the makings of a perfect start to a relaxing weekend day!

Ingredients

FOR THE FLOUR PASTE:  Whisk water & flour together in small bowl until no lumps remain.  Microwave, whisking every 25 sec, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency that forms mound when dropped from end of whisk into bowl, 50 to 75 sec.

FOR THE DOUGH:  In bowl of stand mixer, whisk flour paste & milk together until smooth.  Add egg & yolk & whisk until incorporated.  Add flour & yeast.  Fit stand mixer with dough hook & mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 1 to 2 min.  Let stand for 15 min.  Add sugar & salt & mix on medium-low speed for 5 min.  Stop mixer & add butter.  Continue to mix on medium-low speed for 5 min longer, scraping down dough hook & sides of bowl halfway through (dough will stick to bottom of bowl).

Transfer dough to lightly floured counter.  Knead briefly to form ball & transfer seam side down to lightly greased bowl & cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Let dough rise until just doubled in volume, 40 min to 1 hr.

FOR THE TOPPING:  While dough rises, grease 13 x 9″ metal baking pan (see NOTES below).  Whisk melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup & salt together in medium bowl until smooth.  Add water & whisk until incorporated.  Pour mixture into prepared pan & tilt pan to cover bottom.  Sprinkle evenly with pecans, if using.

FOR THE FILLING:  Combine sugar & cinnamon in small bowl & mix until thoroughly combined; set aside. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter.  Press dough gently but firmly to expel air.  Working from center toward edge, pat & stretch dough to form 18 x 15″ rectangle with long edge nearest you.  Sprinkle filling over dough, leaving 1″ border along top edge; smooth filling into even layer with your hand, then gently press mixture into dough to adhere. Beginning with long edge nearest you, roll dough into cylinder, taking care not to roll too tightly.  Pinch seam to seal & roll cylinder seam side down.  Using the dental floss (non-flavored, of course) method, slice 12 equal portions.  (For a dental floss tutorial video, click here.)  Transfer, cut sides down, to prepared baking pan.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap & let rise until buns are puffy & touching one another, 40 min to 1 hr.  (Buns may be refrigerated immediately after shaping for up to 14 hrs.  To bake, remove baking pan from refrigerator & let sit until buns are puffy and touching one another, 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.)  Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to lowest & lower-middle positions.  Place rimmed baking sheet on lower rack to catch any drips & heat oven to 375 deg.

Bake buns on upper rack until golden brown, about 20 min.  Tent with aluminum foil & bake until center of dough registers at least 200 deg, 10 to 15 min longer.  Let buns cool in pan on wire rack for 5 min.  Place rimmed baking sheet over buns & carefully invert.  Remove pan and let buns cool for 5 min.  Using spoon, scoop any glaze on baking sheet onto buns.  Let cool for at least 10 min longer before serving.  Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee!  

NOTES:

• Subbing active dry yeast for instant yeast – Add 25% more active dry yeast.  For this recipe I use 2-1/4 t active dry yeast in place of instant.
• Use a metal pan – The metal baking pan is critical to the success of this recipe.  Glass conducts heat more slowly which means you would need to extend the baking time to ensure the center buns are done.  However, glass also holds heat longer than metal, so the buns on the edges can turn dry & hard.

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated.

If you’re more a Cinnamon Roll fan (rather than a Sticky Bun), check out this recipe!