Sticky buns, beloved in New England, feature a gooey, caramelized pan sauce that forms the topping when a pan of rolls is inverted. Inspired by Joanne Chang’s fabulous sticky buns at Flour Bakery and Café in Boston, these buns bake to a dark brown, glossy finish and are best served warm. To toast whole pecans, place them on a baking sheet at 350°F for 15 minutes, then chop.
In a 4-cup measuring cup, combine the milk, butter, sugar, and salt. Microwave on High for 1 minute or until warm. Whisk in the eggs.
Place the flour and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the liquid ingredients. Mix on low speed, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until the dough forms a soft mass and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove the paddle attachment and switch to the dough hook. With the mixer on low, knead the dough with the dough hook. Sprinkle the dough with a tablespoon of flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the sides of the bowl. When the dough is smooth, not sticky, and springs back when you press it with your finger, you’ve kneaded enough (4 to 6 minutes). Place the dough in a large, oiled mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (about 85ºF) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it has almost doubled.
Proceed with a cinnamon roll recipe.
Make the rolls:
For the pan sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk in the brown sugar until well combined but not smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey, cream, and salt until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, then pour and spread into a 9 by 13-inch pan. Scatter the pecans over the pan sauce.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll to a 16 by 20-inch rectangle.
For the filling, combine the sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Spread the dough with the butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, then the pecans. Starting with a short end, roll up and form into a tight 16-inch cylinder. Cut the cylinder into 12 slices. Place each slice, spiral side up, in the prepared pan. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 45 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until medium brown in the creases. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out each roll, one by one, onto a serving platter and top with pan sauce.
Notes
In order to avoid lots of work in the morning, I made these the night before and allowed them to do their second rise (after being filled and cut) overnight in the refrigerator. I then just allowed them to come to room temperature before baking the next morning.