Foodie Fridays: Pecan Sticky Buns

My husband loves cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, so I thought I would look for an interesting recipe for the latter.  I found one for Pecan Sticky Buns that does not call for yeast, relying on a biscuit-type dough rather than a yeast-risen one.  Once all of your ingredients are assembled, this recipe is pretty quick to make since there is no need to wait for the dough to rise.

As usual, I modified the recipe based on ingredients that I had on hand.  I did not have buttermilk but did have kefir, which turns out to be an excellent substitute.  I replaced white sugar with coconut sugar in the dough mixture, and added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon to the dough as well.  Otherwise the recipe stayed the same, and the finished product is just as tasty as the yeast-risen type.

Like all sweet buns, these are best right out of the oven as they tend to dry out over time.  I put a balled-up wet paper towel in the container with the rolls (not touching the rolls) in an attempt to keep them moist, but they are still better when freshly made.  The best way to eat sticky buns is to dunk them in a hot beverage anyway, so a little drying out does not really matter too much!

Pecan Sticky Buns

2 T. honey
1/3 C. plus 1/4 C. dark brown sugar
8 T. butter, melted
2 tsp. plus 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. pecans, toasted and chopped
2 3/4 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar or coconut sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 C. buttermilk or kefir

Combine the honey, 1/3 C. brown sugar, and 2 T. butter in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and blended, stirring occasionally.  Pour the mixture into a greased 9-inch metal cake pan.  Sprinkle evenly with the pecans.  Set aside.

Combine 1/4 C. brown sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk or kefir with 4 T. melted butter.  Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture just until the liquid is absorbed.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 times or just until smooth (about 30 seconds).

With generously floured hands, pat the dough into a 9x12-inch rectangle.  Brush with 1 T. melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, covering the dough completely.  Starting with one short end, roll up the dough jelly roll-fashion.

With the seam side down, carefully slice the dough crosswise into 8 slices.  Place each slice, cut side down, on the pecan mixture in the cake pan.  Brush the tops of each slice with the remaining butter.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until golden (my oven tends to be hot, so mine took less than 25 minutes).  Remove from the oven and immediately place a serving plate over the top.  Invert the pan so that the buns release onto the plate.  Allow the topping to run down the sides of the buns before removing the pan.  Scrape any remaining topping out of the pan and spread on top of the buns.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 8.
           
Notes: I had to put my cake pan on the stove over very low heat to keep the sticky sauce from hardening before I had a chance to top it with the pecans (once the nuts are added it does not matter if the sauce hardens as it will melt again in the oven).  Use the butter wrapper to wipe your knife between cuts for slices as this will prevent the knife from sticking to the dough.  I also just used my fingers to spread melted butter on the dough and slices (no need for a brush!).

A red platter is not the best choice for a photo image, but it was the best size
I own for inverting the sticky buns.