Pecan Sticky Buns

By norsegal8

The ne plus ultra of sticky bundom. Not only do you start with the best possible brioche dough, you fold as much butter between the layers of dough as you have already beaten into the dough. Then you fill the buns with sugary pecans and line the pans with caramel, sweet, gooey and irresistible, so that when the buns are turned out, the caramel lightly glazes their tops. The technique of folding butter into the dough, and giving the dough two turns, as you would with puff pastry enriches an already-rich dough and produces beautiful, buttery layers. These bear no resemblance to anything store-bought.

Ingredients

• THE DOUGH
• 1 recipe Brioche dough
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• THE FILLING
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• THE TOPPING
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 42 pecan halves

Preparation

Step 1

Divide the dough in half and keep one half covered in the refrigerator while you work on the other.

THE DOUGH
On a lightly floured surface (cool marble is ideal), roll the dough into a rectangle that is 11 inches wide, 13 inches long and ¼ inch thick. Try to work quickly because the dough is so active that the warmth of your hands may be enough to get it rising again. Dot the surface of the dough evenly with half the softened butter and fold the dough in thirds, as though you were folding a business letter. Turn the dough so that the closed fold is to your left and then roll it out again, taking care not to roll over the edges – you don’t want to crush the layers you are creating by folding and rolling.

CHILLING THE DOUGH
Fold the dough in thirds again, wrap well in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so that it can relax. Repeat the rolling, folding and chilling with the second piece of dough and the remaining butter.

THE FILLING
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and keep it close at hand.
Remove the first piece of dough from the refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll it into a rectangle 11 inches wide, 13 inches long and ¼ inch thick, just like you did at the start. Using a pastry brush, brush the surface of the dough with the beaten egg. Leaving the top quarter of the dough bare, spread everything around with your fingers so that the filling is evenly distributed. Very lightly roll the rolling pin over the dough to press in the filling. Start from the base of the rectangle, roll the dough up into a log.

CHILLING THE LOG
Wrap the log in plastic and freeze until firm, 45 minutes to an hour, so it will be easy to cut. Repeat with the second piece of dough. The sticky bun can now be double-wrapped and kept in the freezer for up to a month. If left to freeze solid, the rolls should be allowed to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before you continue with the recipe.
While the logs are chilling, prepare the pans. You will need 2 9-inch cake pans with high sides. Using your fingers, press a stick of butter evenly over the bottom of each pan; sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the butter.

SHAPING THE BUNS
Remove a log of dough from the freezer and, if the ends are ragged, trim them. Using a long, sharp serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice the log into seven 1 ½-inch wide slices. Lay each slice on one of its flat sides, press the slice down with the palm of your hand to flatten it slightly, and then, with cupped hands, turn the slice around on the work surface 2 or 3 times to reestablish its round shape. Press 3 pecans, flat side up, into the top of each slice so that the nuts form a triangle. Holding on to the nuts as best as you can, turn the slices over into the prepared pan, placing the buns in a circle and the last one in the center, the seams of the buns should face the outside of the pan. Repeat with the second log of dough.
Allow the pans of sticky buns to rest, uncovered, at room temperature for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the slices rise and grow to touch one another.

BAKING THE BUNS
Arrange the oven racks so that one rack is in the middle of the oven and the other is just below it and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the pans of sticky buns on the middle rack and slip a foil- or parchment-lined jelly roll pan onto the lower rack, at the ready to catch any drips. Bake the buns for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. As soon as you remove the sticky buns for the oven, invert them onto a serving dish. Serve the sticky buns at room temperature or just slightly warm – never serve them straight from the oven , because the caramelized sugar topping is dangerously hot.