Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sticky Buns
Go ahead and sticky it to me.
Sticky buns sit on the food alter for worshipping in my house, and once they’re out of the oven Hubby is willing to scorch both his fingers and his mouth to get his hands on this buttery, brown sugar and bourbon infused treat.
I’m also a huge fan of the dough in this recipe. It comes together easily with a mixer/dough hook and is so soft and easy to work with. And while some people would argue the cinnamon takes this treat away from ‘sticky bun’ and into the realm of ‘cinnamon bun’, a cinnamon bun has a cream cheese or frosted topping in my world, so sticky it is!
As always, variations can take this recipe in countless directions— I’ve included some suggestions below, but feel free to make it your own with raisins, different nuts, without cinnamon, you name it. Assuming you have any left, these buns also freeze wonderfully when portioned out into individually. Just pop them into the microwave for 20 seconds to allow the sugar and butter to soften the bun and your treat will taste like it’s come right out of the oven all over again.— CFG
Ingredients:
For the Dough
1 1/2 cups warmed milk
2 1/4 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp white sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup white sugar
4 tbsp butter, softened
For the Filling
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 rounded tsp cinnamon
see notes for alternative fillings
For the Bourbon Pecan Caramel Topping
2/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cream
1 1/2 oz bourbon (jigger)
pinch of salt
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Directions:
Add 2 1/4 tsp of yeast and 1/2 tsp of sugar to 1 1/2 cups of warm milk (not hot). Let stand for 5 minutes until mixture becomes frothy.
In a stand mixer add 3 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Attach a dough hook attachment to the mixer and mix ingredients together.
Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add the milk mixture. Once fully combined, add 4 tbsp of softened butter, one tbsp at a time. Knead on low speed for 5 minutes. If the dough is a bit sticky use the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and add a pinch or two at a time to the mixture. Watch for it to come together after a couple of mixer rotations , then turn off the mixer.
Flour your hands and then remove the dough hook and form the dough into a ball. Place into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest for ~45-60 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
Five minutes before the dough is ready, prepare the filling mixture by melting 4 tbsp of butter in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, add 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of white sugar, and 2 rounded tsp of cinnamon.
Flour a flat surface and roll out the dough in to a 10 x 20” rectangle.
Spread the melted butter over the dough. Be sure to spread the butter all the way to the edges. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the dough, again being sure to cover all the way to the edges. See notes below for adding additional filling ingredients.
Roll the dough tightly into a roll.
Cut the roll into equal pieces — 6-8 pieces for jumbo rolls, 9-10 pieces for medium sized buns, 12-16 pieces for smaller buns.
In a small saucepan, add 2/3 cup of butter, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, 1.5 oz of bourbon, 1/4 cup of cream, and a pinch of salt. On low-medium heat bring a low boil and whisk together constantly until ingredients are fully mixed and sugar is fully melted. Remove from heat and set aside.
Lightly grease a baking pan (I like to use a 10”x10” or 9”x12”) and pour in caramel mixture. Sprinkle 1 cup of roughly chopped pecans on top of caramel mixture.
Place sliced rolls into pan baking pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the buns rest for ~30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375F.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for ~35-45 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and buns bounce back when gently pressed.
Remove pan from the oven, and brush tops with a little melted butter. Let buns rest ~10 minutes.
Place a sheet of parchment paper over the buns and cover the baking pan with a large pan or plate. Next, turn over the pan onto the other pan and remove the baking pan, allowing the caramel mixture to pour on top of the sticky buns.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
This recipe can be modified by removing the bourbon.
Change out pecans for walnuts, or remove the nuts altogether.
Add 1/2 cup of raisins or dried cranberries during step 10.
