Pecan Sticky Buns

Since coming home from Europe, I have become interested once again in baking yeasted doughs. I forgot the magic involved in rising something up from scratch, and after a bit of time, seeing and tasting the beauty you have created! I recently made some killer rosemary raisin pecan parker house rolls, but wanted to try something a bit more challenging, so I decided on Pecan Sticky Buns. When I used to work at Whole Foods Market, I remember the pecan sticky buns coming out of the oven and delightedly picking the caramely, ooey, gooey buttery pecan goodness left over at the bottom of the tin. I settled on a recipe, and spent a laborious day (including rising, kneading, preparing ingredients, etc) in the kitchen. The end result was so worth it, and gone almost instantly! That is generally the way it is when I bake, I have noticed! I made one batch for home and another to bring to a potluck. I look forward to trying new yeasted recipes, who knows, maybe I will move on to croissants. Here is the recipe I used, with my own personal tweaks included:

Dough

• 1 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 4 teaspoons dry yeast
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup warm milk
  
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/4 cups (or more) all purpose flour

Glaze

• 1 1/4 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
  
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
  

• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preparation

For Dough:
Mix 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and pinch of sugar in small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat remaining sugar, butter, milk, and salt in large bowl until well blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in remaining 3/4 cup warm water and yeast mixture, then 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Using rubber spatula, mix in 1 cup flour, scraping down sides of bowl frequently (dough will be soft and sticky). Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour onto work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes.

Butter another large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover bowl with cloth and let dough rise in warm area until doubled, about 2 1/2 hours.

For Glaze:
Butter two 10-inch round cake pans with 2-inch high sides. Beat brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, maple syrup, and 1/4 cup water in medium bowl to blend. Spread half of glaze in bottom of each prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups pecans over each.

Punch down dough. Divide dough in half. Roll each dough piece out on floured work surface to 12x9-inch rectangle. Brush any excess flour off dough. Spread remaining butter over dough rectangles, dividing equally. Mix 4 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over rectangles. Starting at 1 long side, tightly roll up each rectangle into log. Cut each log into 12 rounds. Place 12 rounds, cut side down, in each prepared pan, spacing evenly. Cover with cloth. Let buns rise in warm area until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake buns until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Turn heat up to 400 and cook for 10 more minutes. Run small knife around pan sides to loosen sticky buns. Turn hot buns out onto platter. Cool about 30 minutes and serve.