Chef John's Famous Sticky Buns Recipe

Ingredients

• 0.67 cup warm water
• 0.67 cup warm milk
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
• 1.5 teaspoons fine salt
• 0.5 cup packed light brown sugar
• 0.25 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 0.75 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine warm water and milk, then sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes, or until frothy.
2. Add sugar, egg, and melted butter to the yeast mixture for the dough. Whisk together before incorporating 75% of the flour with the salt. Mix, adding more flour gradually, until a very soft and sticky dough forms. Knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter a 9x13-inch metal baking pan.
4. For the topping, combine brown sugar, white sugar, salt, melted butter, and water in a bowl. Mix well until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly to cover the bottom. Sprinkle pecans uniformly over the top. Set aside until needed.
5. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling; mix thoroughly until well combined. Set aside until needed.
6. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and gently press and stretch the dough to create an 18x15-inch rectangle. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border along the edges. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the dough using your hands.
7. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder using lightly floured hands; avoid rolling too tightly. Shape the cylinder as uniformly as possible, with the seam-side down. Lightly score the roll with the edge of a knife to indicate 12 equal portions.
8. Slide a piece of string or floss under the dough, aligning it with the first knife mark. Cross the ends of the string over the top and pull in opposite directions to slice through the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough.
9. Place the buns into the pan with the topping, arranging them in 3 rows of 4 buns. If one side of a bun has more dough than the other, position the doughier side up in the pan. Loosely tent the pan with foil and let the buns rise until they have almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Save the foil for later use if needed during baking.
10. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a bun reaches 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), approximately 35 minutes. If the tops begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.
11. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the pan onto a serving platter. Use a spoon to transfer any remaining sticky topping from the pan onto the buns. Allow to cool, then serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition

• Calories: 449 kcal
• Fat Content: 20 g
• Fiber Content: 2 g
• Sugar Content: 30 g
• Sodium Content: 325 mg
• Protein Content: 7 g
• Cholesterol Content: 47 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 63 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g