Sticky Pecan Rolls Food

PECAN STICKY BUNS WITH BACON CARAMEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup muffin tin on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Line 2 additional baking sheets with aluminum foil.
• Lay the bacon slices on the baking sheets lined with foil. Bake until almost crispy, but not quite done, about 18 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour the bacon fat into a small pot. Once the bacon is cool, crumble into small pieces.
• Place the pot over medium-low heat. Add 1 cup brown sugar and cook, whisking frequently, until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. (The mixture will look granular.) Slowly stream in the maple syrup and whisk vigorously as the mixture begins to bubble. Once syrup comes together, add the cream and kosher salt. Remove from the heat and whisk until all of the cream is incorporated. Reserve until ready to use.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Unfold both sheets of puff pastry and arrange the sheets so that the fold lines run parallel to the counter edge. Generously brush the sheets with the melted butter. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the buttered sheets. Sprinkle 1/2 cup crumbled bacon and some of the chopped pecans over the pastry. Gentle press the bacon and nuts into the sugar mixture with your palms. Roll the pastry away from you, forming 2 tight logs. Use a serrated knife to cut each log into 6 equal pieces.
• Pour 1 tablespoon of the bacon caramel into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon each crumbled bacon and chopped pecans. Place sticky buns cut-side into caramel in each muffin cup and gently press down, maintaining the round shape.
• Bake until the caramel bubbles and the buns are deeply golden brown, about 35 minutes. Work quickly to release the sides of the buns from the muffin cups, using a small knife. Carefully invert the muffin tin onto another baking sheet. Spoon any caramel that remains in the muffin tin over the buns. Serve immediately.

STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• For the dough: Heat the milk, oil and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and let cool to warm.
• Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk mixture for 1 minute. Add 4 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the salt, baking powder, baking soda and remaining 1/2 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (The dough is easier to work with if it's been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)
• To assemble the rolls: On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 inches by 10 inches. The dough should be very thin.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• For the filling: Pour the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Sprinkle over the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Don't be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.
• Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don't worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. You'll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log. Slip a cutting board underneath the log and, with a sharp knife, make 16 equal slices.
• For the smear and base: Cream together the brown sugar, butter, honey and salt until lightened, then slowly add the whiskey and vanilla while mixing.
• Butter a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, layer the bottom with the pecan pieces and then scoop 5 large scoops of the smear on top. Heat in the oven until the smear is slightly foamy and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from the oven and place the sliced rolls on top of the melted smear (it's fine to put them on the hot smear). Allow the rolls to rise for 20 minutes.
• Return the skillet to the oven and bake until the rolls are golden brown and the smear is brown and sticky, 20 to 30 minutes. Take another 12-inch skillet and place it on top of the hot skillet. Flip over quickly and carefully. All of the caramelly, boozy goodness will be on top.

PECAN STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• Place the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and stir with a fork to dissolve the yeast. Allow it to stand for about 3 minutes.
• Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the warm water and the yeast mixture and stir with your fingers to moisten the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl and folding the dough over itself until it gathers into a shaggy mass.
• Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand for 5 minutes. This is a soft, moist dough. If the dough seems too stiff and hard to knead, add extra warm water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get a nice malleable dough. Gently shape the dough into a loose ball, cover it with plastic, and let it rest on the table for 20 minutes. (This rest period is the autolyse.)
• Gently knead the dough on the lightly floured surface for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until it becomes smooth, supple, and elastic but not too firm. The texture of the dough should be soft but springy. Shape the dough into a loose ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, and turn to coat the top with oil. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature (75 to 77 degrees F) until it has doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising; in a small saucepan, heat the 9 tablespoons butter and the dark brown sugar over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar is completely moistened (it won't be dissolved), then whisk until the mixture looks silky and a little lighter in color. Use 1 tablespoon softened butter to grease the sides of a 9-inch square pan, then pour in the caramel, tilting the pan slightly so the mixture spreads evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the toasted pecans over the warm caramel and press them down slightly. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool the caramel; be the pan's on a level surface. Put the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir until evenly mixed. Set aside.
• When the dough has doubled, gently pour it out of the bowl onto the floured work surface. Flatten the dough and stretch it with your fingers to form a 13 by 10-inch rectangle, with a longside facing you. Work gently so you don't tear the dough surface. The dough should stretch easily at this point, but if it resists, let it rest for 5 minutes and resume stretching. Check to be sure the dough isn't sticking to the work surface; flour the table again, if necessary.
• Spread 3 tablespoons of the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch strip unbuttered along the top edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture generously and evenly over the butter, again leaving the top 1/2-inch of the rectangle bare. Starting with the bottom edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion into a long log. If the dough sticks to the table as you're rolling, use a dough scraper to loosen it gently. Pinch gently but firmly along the seam to seal it. If necessary, gently shape the roll so it is a nice uniform log.
• Take the caramel-lined pan out of the refrigerator. Cut the log of dough into 9 equal pieces. (It's easiest to mark the roll first to show where you're going to make the cuts--a slight indentation with the knife edge will do--then use a sharp serrated knife to cut completely through the dough.) Lay the pieces cut side down on top of the caramel. Don't worry if it's a tight fit. Let rise, uncovered, at room temperature until the dough has almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. The rolls should fill the pan and extend 1/2 to 3/4-inch above it. In the meantime, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the pan of sticky buns on a foil-lined baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes longer, until the tops of the buns are golden brown and crusty. It's important to bake the buns long enough so the dough is cooked all the way through and the caramel topping develops properly. Set the pan of buns on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then quickly but carefully turn the pan upside-down and release the sticky buns onto a large flat heatproof plate. Immediately scrape out any hot caramel remaining in the bottom of the pan and spread it on the tops of the buns, filling in any bare spots. Let them cool until just warm before serving. (Clean the pan by soaking it in very hot water to dissolve the caramel.) Store any leftovers covered in plastic wrap at room temperature.

CINNAMON PECAN STICKY BUNS

Steps:

• Place the flour, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a mixing bowl, then rub in the pieces of butter until the mix has the texture of breadcrumbs. Tip in the yeast and eggs. Pour in the milk and mix well until you get a soft dough (you may need to add a little more milk). Knead in a mixer with a dough hook for 7 mins or by hand for about 15 mins until the dough is smooth, soft and springy. Tip into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled cling film or a clean tea towel, then leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
• Make the filling: place the cinnamon, sugar and pecans in a food processor, then whizz until the nuts are finely ground. Punch down the dough and knead to knock out the air, then split the dough in two. Roll and stretch each piece to form a 25 x 35cm rectangle.
• Melt the butter for the topping. Brush half all over each rectangle, then sprinkle half the filling mixture over each. Use a rolling pin to press the filling into the dough. Tightly roll each rectangle up from one of the long ends to get a thick log, then pinch the ends together to seal. Cut each log into 8 pieces. Can be frozen for up to 1 month.
• Brush two 20 x 30cm deep baking trays with melted butter. Mix the maple syrup and sugar into the remaining butter, then pour this over the bottom of each baking tray, swirling around so it is coated. Sprinkle with the pecans. Place the rolls on the tray, leaving a gap of at least 2cm around each roll. Cover with lightly oiled cling film, then keep in a warm place for about 30 mins until lightly risen.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Remove the cling film from the tray, then bake for 30 mins until the buns are lightly browned and feel firm. Serve warm, sticky-side-up.

PECAN STICKY ROLLS

Steps:

• Spray a 6 muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside; preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, brown sugar and water and stir until smooth; evenly spoon the mixture in the prepared pan.
• Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the sugar mixture.
• Unroll the crescent rolls, lightly press seams to seal, spread lightly with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
• Roll up the dough and slice into 6 even slices, place cut side down into muffin tins; place muffin tin on cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 2o to 25 minutes or until cooked through and browned.
• Turn onto serving plate and serve immediately.