An Inspired Cook

The one holiday treat that I enjoy baking for Christmas is sweet rolls. They are a sweet indulgence that makes me happy. An afternoon sitting in front of the fire with a cup of tea and a sweet roll is the essence of comfort  When I make sweet rolls, I make enough to share with my sister because she loves them just as much as I do. And I don’t post my sweet roll recipes until after the holidays because I make them just a couple days before Christmas so they will be fresh. This year I decided to go back to my childhood for inspiration. Both Kat and I have a vague memory of our mom baking Pecan Sticky Rolls that tasted so incredible. I don’t have any idea how she made them or what recipe she used, but I am going to try and recreate the memory with flavors that I think she would have used to make that pecan caramel syrup. It all begins with brioche dough, which is my go-to sweet dough that never fails. I then tested variations of brown sugar and butter combinations to get just the right amount of sweet buttery caramel flavors. After all the taste testing and decision making was done, it was a triumph to finally bake them. They tasted as good as I had hoped and I think they turned out quite pretty too! 

Here are the ingredients to make the brioche dough. It’s the ultimate sweet dough to make any kind of sweet bread or rolls.  You’ll need flour, yeast, salt, water, honey, eggs, and softened butter.

Mix together in a small bowl the warm water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of honey.  Let sit for a few minutes as it begins to foam and rise.

When the yeast is ready to go, pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the remaining honey, eggs and softened butter.  Mix together with a wooden spatula.

Add the flour a little bit at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until it begins to form into dough. Attach the dough hook and turn on low speed to knead the dough together.

Continue on low speed until the dough has formed and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be sticky and wet.

Generously sprinkle flour over a work space and gently knead the dough.  Use just enough flour to form the dough into a ball.

Place the dough into a large bowl and cover with a cup towel.  Set in a warm place to rise (approximately 2-3 hours). 

While the dough is raising there is time to make the sticky pecan caramel topping. I made this in two small pots so that I could easily pour one into each baking pan. Heat your small pot over medium heat. Combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of corn syrup. As it heats up it will begin to melt the butter and sugars together.

Add a splash of vanilla.

Bring to a boil and stir as it becomes a syrup.

Prep your baking pan with butter around the bottom and edges of the pan. Pour your syrup into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with chopped and a few whole pieces of pecans, about 1/2 cup per pan. Set aside.

The dough should double in size, like this.

Sprinkle a generous amount of flour on your work surface, divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rectangles.

Roll out one half of the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick.

You’ll need 3 tablespoons of softened butter for each half of the dough. I usually place the butter in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds and it comes out creamy and ready to spread.

The filling will be like a cinnamon roll filling with brown sugar and cinnamon. It’s 1/2 cup of brown sugar to 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together with a fork until it’s crumbly with no visible lumps. There are two bowls with brown sugar and cinnamon to make filling for two pans of rolls. 

Spread the butter evenly over the dough then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over top. 

Begin rolling along the long edge toward you. When you have a long roll, pinch the edges underneath. Use a sharp knife or dental floss to make 1 inch slices.

Set the cut rolls over the caramel pecan topping. Leave room between the rolls so that they can expand. Cover rolls with a cup towel and set in a warm space to double in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until dough is golden brown on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before inverting to a plate. Place a plate large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and turn upside down. The rolls should easily fall onto the plate dripping with sticky caramel sauce and pecans. 

A sweet roll with a cup of tea is the ultimate cozy treat any time of day!

Pecan Sticky Rolls

Brioche Dough
3/4 cup Lukewarm Water
3/4 tablespoons Yeast
3/4 tablespoons Kosher Salt
4 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Honey
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
3 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Filling
6 tablespoons Butter, divided
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, divided
1 cup Brown Sugar, divided

Pecan Caramel Topping
2/3 cup Brown Sugar, divided
6 tablespoons Butter, divided
2 tablespoons Corn Syrup, divided
1 cup Chopped Pecans, divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla, divided

To make Brioche Dough: Add the water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of honey in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer.  Let the yeast sit for a few minutes to activate and begin to bubble and foam.  Add the remaining honey, eggs and softened butter.  Stir with a wooden spatula.

Begin to add the flour a little at a time.  Stir the flour into the liquid ingredients until it begins to form into a dough.  Use your dough hook and mix on low to incorporate all the flour into the dough.  Scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.  The dough will be sticky and wet.  Prepare a work space and generously sprinkle with flour.  Knead the dough with enough flour to form a round ball.  Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a cup towel and place in a warm area to rise (approximately 2 – 3 hours).

To make the Pecan Caramel Topping: I made this in two small pots so that I could easily pour one into each baking pan. Heat your small pot over medium heat. For each pot combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of corn syrup. As it heats up it will begin to melt the butter and sugars together. Add a splash of vanilla, approximately 1/2 teaspoon. Bring to a boil and stir as it becomes a syrup. Pour the topping into 2 buttered 9 inch round baking pans, spreading to coat the bottom of the pan and sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped pecans over top. Set aside. 

When dough has doubled in bulk, punch down the dough and using your previous works space knead the dough until it is easy to work with.  Divide the dough in half and shape into 2 rectangles.   Take one rectangle and roll out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.  

To make the filling: I like to prep the filling ahead and set aside until I’m ready to use. For each half of the dough you will need to soften 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave for 20 – 30 seconds until it is creamy. In each small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of brown sugar with 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix together with a fork until it is well combined with no visible lumps. 

Spread 3 tablespoons of the softened butter with a spatula over the rolled dough leaving a 1/4 inch around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mix evenly over the butter. Gently begin to roll the long side of the dough from the bottom up until you have a long roll. Tuck the ends underneath to seal. Slice the rolls or use dental floss to cut rolls in 1 inch slices.

Place the cut rolls on top of the pecan caramel topping, leaving a little bit of space around each roll to rise and expand. Prepare the reserved dough and add fillings, roll, and cut before placing on top of the other pan with pecan caramel topping. 

Place rolls in a warm space and cover with a cup towel.  Allow to rise and double in bulk.  Bake rolls for 25 – 30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before inverting to a plate. Place a plate that is large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and turn upside down. The rolls should easily fall onto the plate dripping with sticky caramel sauce and pecans. 

Makes approximately 16 Pecan Sticky Rolls