When I was little my grandmother would come to stay with us every Christmas. When she arrived in her enormous mint-green boat of a car, we would spill out of the house and race out onto the driveway to unload the trunk. It wasn’t full of presents (she mostly left those up to Santa, aka my parents) – we just wanted to make sure she’d brought the sticky buns.
There has never been a Christmas without these rich, gooey sticky buns. They didn’t originate with my grandmother – I don’t really know how far back they go but I know they were part of Mamie’s childhood at the turn of the last century. I took over as official sticky bun baker when she was 95 years old and had moved out of her house and into an independent living community. I followed her recipe exactly at first, but eventually tinkered with it (as I’m sure the generations of bakers before me did, too), until I arrived at what I think is perfection — even softer, stickier, more cinnamon-y and buttery than the original.
Start by making the sweet dough. After the dough has risen, shape it into a big rectangle and spread on the cinnamon-brown sugar filling (or “smear”). Roll up the dough into a log and carefully cut it into pudgy slices. Dollop the sticky topping into the baking cups, sprinkle in the pecans, and lay the buns in for their second rise.
For the pans, I use hamburger bun pans from King Arthur Flour. They’re convenient and the perfect size, but before I found these I used to use 10-ounce Pyrex custard cups and they worked fine. If you’re going to use individual cups, arrange the cups on large baking sheets for sliding in and out of the oven.
You could also use muffin tins – since the cups in a muffin tin are smaller, cut the log of dough into 18 slices instead of 12. Or, you could bake the buns all together in one big, rectangular pan. The buns will form a solid block, and when you pull them apart each bun will be square rather than round. I don’t think the buns look nearly as pretty when made this way, and they also go stale faster because of the exposed raw edges when you pull them apart. Baking each bun in its own cup is a little bit more trouble, but I think it’s worth it.)
When the hot buns come out of the oven, leave them in the baking cups or pans for EXACTLY 10 minutes. Take them out sooner and the topping will be too runny and it will all run off the buns; leave them in longer and the topping will solidify and stick to the pan.
This recipe makes 12 extra-large buns. If you don’t need that many sticky buns, do what I often do and make 6 sticky buns and use the other half of the sweet dough for something else. See some ideas in the post for the sweet dough, otherwise known as Mamie’s Rolls.
An ingredient note: Mamie always used corn syrup in the topping for these buns. I now substitute Lyle’s Golden Syrup because I like to avoid high fructose corn syrup. If you can’t find Lyle’s, or don’t care about using HFCS, use Karo light corn syrup instead.
Making Sticky Buns ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- Definitely make these a day ahead if you’re going to serve them for breakfast. When you’re ready to serve them, reheat them in the microwave or a 300-degree oven until they’re warm all the way through.
- They’ll keep for 3 days at room temperature (individually wrapped in plastic wrap). They also freeze well, if well wrapped, and will keep in the freezer for a couple of months.
Sticky Buns
Ingredients
- 1 recipe of dough for Mamie’s Rolls (recipe follows)
- All-purpose flour for the board
- ¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter (preferably European-style), at room temperature, divided, plus additional for the pans
- 1¼ cup lightly packed light brown sugar, divided
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- ½ cup Lyle’s golden syrup, or light corn syrup
- 1½ cups pecan halves and pieces
Directions
- Step 1 Prepare the dough for Mamie’s Rolls, through to the end of the first rise.
- Step 2 Meanwhile, make the smear. Mash together ½ cup (8 tablespoons) of the butter with ¾ cup of the brown sugar and 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of the cinnamon in a small bowl until they’re very smooth. The butter needs to be quite soft for this – you want the smear to be the consistency of peanut butter.
- Step 3 Make the topping. Heat the remaining ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of butter, ½ cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with the golden syrup or corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter is melted, the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Step 4 Generously butter twelve 10-ounce custard cups or ramekins, or two 6-cup hamburger bun pans. If you’re using individual cups or ramekins, arrange them on two large baking sheets. Spoon the topping into the cups, dividing it evenly, about 2 tablespoons of topping per cup. Sprinkle in the pecan halves and pieces, dividing them evenly among the cups.
- Step 5 When the dough has finished rising, roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured board to a large rectangle with a longer edge facing you. The size of the rectangle does not have to be exact – it should be approximately 18 to 24 inches on the long side, so that once you cut it the slices of dough will be between 1½ and 2 inches thick. (If you’re making half a recipe, have the short side of the rectangle facing you, so the roll is just as thick as if you were making the full version, and between 9 and 12 inches long.)
- Step 6 Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the smear over the dough, extending all the way out to the front, left and right sides, but leaving a 1-inch border at the far edge. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough away from you to form a tight log. Turn the log seam side down on the board. Using a serrated bread knife, carefully cut the log into 12 slices. Saw gently across the roll, not pushing down but letting the teeth of the knife do the work.
- Step 7 Lay the slices on their sides in the topping-filled cups. Push down gently to flatten the dough slightly, so the buns will expand out to fill the cups as they rise. Cover the buns with kitchen towels, and let the dough rise for 40 minutes, until the buns are puffy and approximately doubled in size. About 15 minutes before the time is up, heat the oven to 325 degrees, with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
- Step 8 Bake the sticky buns for 23 to 25 minutes or until the tops are light golden brown. Halfway through the baking time, switch the pans from the upper and lower racks, and rotate them back to front so they’ll brown evenly.
- Step 9 When the buns are done, remove the pans or the individual baking cups to a cooling rack that’s placed over a sheet of waxed paper to catch drips. Cool the buns in the cups or pans for exactly 10 minutes. Turn each cup or pan over and tip the buns out onto the racks, helping them out gently with the tip of a knife if needed, and using the knife to pull out any stuck-on pecans and arrange them back onto the tops of the buns. Cool the buns for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, or completely before wrapping and storing. To store, tightly wrap each bun individually in plastic wrap, then pack them carefully in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.
Mamie's Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup hot water (105 to 120 degrees)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (preferably European-style), at room temperature, plus additional for the bowl and baking sheets
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon Morton's)
- 5½ to 6 cups (23 3/8 to 25½ ounces, or 660 to 720 grams) all-purpose flour, plus additional
- 2 large eggs
Directions
- Step 1 Scald the milk. (To scald milk, heat it in a small saucepan over medium heat until the surface forms a thin, wrinkled skin and tiny bubbles form along the edges. Do not allow the milk to come to a boil.)
- Step 2 Meanwhile, whisk the yeast and a pinch of the sugar into the hot water. Set this mixture aside while the milk scalds. Once the milk is scalded and the yeast mixture is thick and foamy, proceed.
- Step 3 Put the softened butter and the remainder of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pour in the scalded milk and stir gently with the paddle – start slowly with pulses so the mixture doesn’t splatter – until the butter is melted.
- Step 4 Add the salt and 3 cups of the flour to the mixer. Start on slow speed, then increase the speed as the flour gets incorporated, beating until the mixture is combined. Add the yeast mixture and beat until smooth, then add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add 1 cup of flour. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed until it forms a smooth batter.
- Step 5 Switch to the dough hook and medium-low speed, and add ½ cup of flour and mix until the flour is mostly incorporated. Now start adding the flour more gradually, about 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly with the dough hook on medium-low speed, until the dough comes together in a loose ball that’s just starting to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Run the machine on medium-low speed for 1 minute without adding flour.
- Step 6 To finish, start adding flour again, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl again into a loose, sticky ball.
- Step 7 Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it briefly by hand. When you’re done, the dough should be very smooth, not loose or greasy, but soft and slightly sticky – this dough will not get springy like a classic bread dough.
- Step 8 Generously grease a large bowl with butter. Put the dough in the bowl, turn it to coat it with butter on all sides, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 1 hour. Proceed with the recipe above for Sticky Buns.
