Flour Bakery Sticky Buns + Anniversary...and a GIVEAWAY!
 
 
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Ingredients
Basic Brioche
  • 2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2-1/4 cups bread flour
  • 1-1/2 packages (3-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup + 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 10-12 pieces.
Caramel Goo
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup water
  • ¼ tsp salt
Bun filling
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup pecan halves, toasted and chopped
Directions
To make the basic brioche dough:
  1. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 2 flours, yeast, sugar, salt, water and eggs. Beat on low for 3 to 4 minutes, or until all the ingredients have come together. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Once the dough has come together, beat on low speed for another 2 min. The dough will be very stiff and seem quite dry.
  2. With your mixer still on low speed, add the butter one piece at a time, mixing after each addition until the butter has thoroughly disappeared into the dough. Then continue mixing on low for about 10 minutes. If necessary, stop the mixer occasionally and break up the dough or push the dough off your hook with your hands to help mix in the butter.
  3. Once the butter is completely incorporated, turn up the speed of your mixer to medium and beat for another 15 min, or until the dough becomes sticky, soft, and somewhat shiny. Your dough will look shaggy and questionable at the start and then eventually turn smooth/silky. When that happens, turn the speed of your mixer up to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute. You should hear the dough make a slap-slap-slap sound as it hits the sides of the bowl. (FYI, your mixer will get and start shaking - don't worry, this is normal.)
  4. Test the dough by pulling at it. It should stretch a bit and have a little give, and will feel slick/soft. If it seems wet and loose and more like batter than dough, add a few tbsp flour and mix until it comes together. If it breaks off into pieces when you pull at it, continue mixing on medium for another 2-3 minutes, or until it develops more strength and stretches when you grab it. Your dough is ready when you can gather it all together and pick it up in one piece.
  5. Place your finished dough in a large bowl or plastic container and cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the dough. Let the dough proof in the fridge for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. (At this point you can freeze the dough in an airtight container for up to 1 week.)
To make the sticky buns:
  1. Make the caramel goo - in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in honey, cream, water, and salt. Set goo aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.
  2. Take half of your basic brioche dough, and roll it out on a floured work surface into a rectangle about 16 by 12 inches and ¼ inch thick. It will have the consistency of cold, damp Play-Doh and should be fairly easy to roll. Position the rectangle so a short side is facing you.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and half of the pecans. Sprinkle mixture evenly over your rolled out dough. Starting from the short side farthest from you and working down, roll up the rectangle tightly like a jelly roll. Trim about ¼ inch from both ends of your roll.
  4. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into 8 equal pieces, each about 1-1/2 inches wide. (At this point, the unbaked buns can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 1 week. Thaw them before proceeding as directed, below)
  5. Pour your cooled caramel goo into a 9x13 baking dish, covering the bottom evenly. Sprinkle the remaining pecans evenly on the surface. Place the buns cut side down and evenly spaced in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place your baking dish in a warm place to allow the buns to proof for another 2 hours (or until the dough is puffy, pillowy and soft and the buns are touching).
  6. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350.
  7. Bake the buns for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
  8. Allow buns to cool in the dish on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
  9. One at a time, invert the buns onto a serving platter, and spoon any extra goo/pecans from the bottom of the dish over the top of each bun.
  10. Dig in!
Recipe by Just Putzing Around the Kitchen at https://www.justputzing.com/2014/09/flour-bakery-sticky-buns-anniversary-and-a-giveaway.html