Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Buns
Baked in a luscious toffee bath that's loaded with toasted pecans, these sticky buns are incredibly soft, fluffy, and infused with the autumn sweetness of pumpkin!
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one 1/4 ounce packet)
- ¼ cup warm water*
- ⅓ cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
- ⅔ cup pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 - 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour**
Toffee Sauce:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups toasted pecans
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the yeast, water*, and 1 teaspoon of sugar; set aside to foam for about 5 minutes. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pumpkin purée, 1/3 cup of sugar, sour cream, milk, melted butter, egg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Switch to the dough hook, and add the yeast mixture and 3 cups of the flour. Mix the dough on low and allow it to knead for about 6-7 minutes. If dough is still too soft, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough just cleans the bowl, but is very soft. It should still stick to the bottom of the bowl.
- Coat a large bowl with cooking spray and place dough in bowl. Seal tightly with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm place and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
- In the meantime, make the toffee sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and honey, stirring until incorporated.
- Whisk in the heavy cream, and continue to cook without stirring until mixture reaches 228ºF. Remove from the heat, then stir in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Allow to cool slightly.
- Chop 1/2 cup of the toasted pecans, then stir into the toffee sauce along with the rest of the whole toasted pecans. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly; set aside.
- Make the cinnamon brown sugar filling by combining the butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon together in a bowl.
- After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a floured Silpat or floured countertop. With a rolling pin, roll it out to an 18x15-inch rectangle.
- Spread the filling evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Roll dough tightly into a log, ending with the seam side down. Pinch the ends to seal.
- Using plain, unwaxed dental floss (or a bench scraper), slice the rolls into 12 evenly-sized rolls. Arrange the rolls cut-side down in the baking dish on top of the toffee-pecan sauce. Cover tightly with plastic wrap.
*If baking immediately
- Allow the rolls to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
*Or...If You Want to Bake the Rolls the Next Day
- Place covered rolls in the refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Before baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about an hour.***
Baking:
- For either version, bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes, or until golden. Tent sticky buns with aluminum foil, and continue to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until baked through.
- Allow the sticky buns to cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes. Place a serving dish on top of the pan, and carefully invert pan. Be careful as the toffee sauce will be hot. Remove baking dish, and scoop any run-off sauce back over the buns with a spoon or spatula. Serve immediately.
- The sticky buns are best eaten the day of baking but can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
*Different brands require different water temperatures for the yeast to react with. Make sure to use a food thermometer to get the correct temperature. You don't want the water too hot, or it will kill the yeast; too cold, and the yeast won't react. Mine had to be anywhere between 100ºF-110ºF.
**I ended up using 3 and 1/4 cups of flour.
***Depending on how long your rolls have been in the refrigerator, they might have already doubled in size. However, it's still important to let them sit out at room temperature for an hour before baking to take the chill off.