The BEST Pecan Roll Recipe
Well my friends, I’m back! It’s been a while! I got emails from people asking me what they were doing wrong. Why are there no new posts? Were they accessing the blog incorrectly? (That one made me laugh.) There just haven’t been any new posts for a while because I essentially took an early maternity leave. Yes, we’re having another baby! Hooray! And no, my maternity leave was not for an infant that is already here, it was for my first trimester. I was the baby who needed taking care of, and Netflix and Anne of Green Gables novels took care of it well enough. Oh, and Eric. He’s a saint. He was the dad AND the mom for a while there. I get pretty sick for about 3 months with every pregnancy, and I basically stop being a responsible human. Just ask my children, who have essentially been Lord of the Flies-ing it over here. But I’m feeling much better, thank goodness! I’m nearly 20 weeks pregnant now, due in December. I can not only eat food these days, I can think about it and talk about it too, which is progress indeed. We’re having a BOY! We’re super excited. It’s kind of funny having a 4th baby because people automatically ask if we’re going to go for a 5th. Hold your horses! Let’s take this one kid at a time!! Although if you’re my 13 year old neighbor PJ, you would not be asking about a 5th. He came over a couple weeks ago and I told him that I was pregnant. His eyes got really wide and he said, “Oh NO. Again??” I laughed so hard. Yes PJ, some people like having children (gasp!) and do it ON PURPOSE! I had this great idea to make Pecan Sticky Buns and tell you that I had a bun in the oven, like I did when I announced my last pregnancy with Aunt Shirley’s Famous Dinner Rolls. Because bloggers are supposed to do cute stuff like that, right? Or something? But it turns out people search for Caramel Pecan Rolls way more often than Pecan Sticky Buns, and since Google rules my life (or at least rules the titles I give my blog posts) I caved. And while we’re on the subject of what to call them:
What is the difference between sticky buns and cinnamon rolls?
A sticky bun is basically a cinnamon roll, minus the cinnamon, plus gooey caramel sauce and tons of toasted pecans. HEAVEN. Call them pecan sticky buns, call them caramel pecan rolls, call them whatever you want, this is one of the best breakfast items you will ever put in your mouth. Have you tried one?
Sticky Buns Recipe Ingredients
Even if you have tried one, get ready for me to change your life. Because we are making this pecan roll recipe with brioche dough. It makes them NEXT LEVEL you guys. Here is everything you’re going to need:
How to Make Caramel Pecan Rolls
This recipe isn’t hard, but you’ll get better sticky buns if you pay attention to some details. To get started, here’s a basic overview of the steps. Details and process photos follow, and don’t worry. All the instructions are listed in the recipe!
How to make Brioche Dough for Sticky Buns
Brioche dough is different from regular bread dough not only in the ingredients, but also in how the dough is mixed together. It has more butter and eggs than your average bread dough, resulting in a very soft and tender crumb once it is baked. It also doesn’t have nearly as much flour as regular bread dough. Using brioche dough instead of bread dough makes for a SUPER soft caramel roll once it is baked up. I use this same dough for The Fluffiest Homemade Cinnamon Rolls of Your Life and I’m never going back to regular dough for any type of sweet roll that I make. After mixing in the minimal amount of flour, THEN you add the butter (usually when making bread or rolls, flour is the last ingredient). Very soft butter, added 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is sticky, stretchy, and very soft. It barely comes together and would be impossible to roll out, which is where the chill step comes in. Pre-chill. Post chill. It will rise some but not double. Chilling the dough is what makes it workable. Many brioche recipes call for an overnight chilling, and while you can do that if you are making these ahead of time, 2 hours will do just fine if you want to make these all in one day. Here’s the dough after it has chilled, ready to roll out. It is still soft, but it’s easy enough to roll it out in order to shape your beautiful Caramel Pecan Rolls. Just don’t take forever with the rolling process; if it becomes too warm it will be too soft and sticky to slice the rolls. Yes, use ALL the caramel sauce. No, it’s not too much, and yes, your rolls will be absolutely swimming in it before they rise. Embrace it! Do you see how puffy they get!? So satisfying. The high level of eggs and butter in the dough means the bread turns a very dark golden color when baked. Still, you should cover your rolls with foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking so that they don’t get too dark.
How do you know when a sticky bun is done?
Poke the bread part of a roll with a toothpick or fork to see if any wet dough comes out. Bake until the dough does not look wet or raw and the rolls are golden to dark brown on top. Because sticky buns are so, well, sticky, it’s hard to tell if they are done with just the toothpick test. The safest way to know for sure if your rolls are cooked all the way through is with an instant read thermometer: It should read 190 degrees F. Flip that pan over and you get this gorgeous mess.
Can Pecan Caramel Rolls be made ahead?
Yes definitely! It’s one of the best parts about this recipe! I love to make these overnight. It’s the perfect Christmas Eve project, too. Who says we can’t get ourselves Christmas gifts. If these rolls aren’t a gift, I don’t know what is. Make the recipe as written through the step where you cover the rolled up rolls with greased plastic wrap. At this point you can refrigerate overnight. In the morning, prepare the oven by preheating the oven (and then turning it off) and placing a pan of boiling water on a bottom rack. (Remember to turn the oven off! You are just creating a warm environment.) Let the rolls rise for the same amount of time and bake as directed. See recipe for more details!
How to store Pecan Sticky Buns
Do Caramel Pecan Sticky Buns freeze well?
They sure do. But the real question is:
Is it better to freeze sticky buns before or after baking?
Listen, there’s nothing better than freshly-baked, well, ANYTHING. So if you have the time, freeze the dough rather than the baked roll. That said, baked sticky buns freeze and reheat exceptionally well. Here’s how to do it: To freeze before baking, follow the recipe until the rolls are in the pan with the caramel sauce. Cover with greased plastic wrap, then seal well with even more plastic wrap and foil. Freeze the whole pan before allowing them to rise. Freeze for up to 4 weeks. Allow to defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then follow the instructions in the recipe for rising with the boiling water in the oven. When the rolls double in bulk, they are ready to bake. This could take a bit longer if they weren’t quite thawed out. Once they have risen, bake as instructed! To freeze after baking, seal the entire pan of buns and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, then bake at 350 degree for 5-8 minutes until warm. (Don’t mess up and eat your sticky buns cold. That’s a tragedy!) To freeze individual portions after baking, place 1-2 buns into airtight containers and freeze. Reheat in the microwave for a delicious, anytime breakfast! I can’t begin to tell you how in love with these Caramel Pecan Rolls I am. I made them on a random Tuesday to celebrate being back in the kitchen after a 3 month ban, but these would be great to make over the weekend. Test it out soon so that you can impress your family on Christmas or Easter morning with this show-stopper brunch!
More breakfast recipes you are going to love!
The FLUFFIEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls of Your Life (Overnight) Raspberry Sweet Rolls with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting One Hour Honey Almond Crunch Rolls One Hour Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting More sweet breakfast recipes!
More sweet rolls from friends
Chocolate Orange Sweet Rolls from Cupcakes and Kale Chips Banana Nut Cinnamon Rolls from Inside BruCrew Life Healthier Orange Sweet Rolls from Texanerin
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