Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

It is the holiday week, and I have something sinful up my sleeve. Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Rolls, so decadent, so delicious and one you should serve your guests, your family and everyone at the party. I have been on pecan binge for some time now, first it was Mexican wedding cookies, followed by pecan pie bar and now these rolls reign over the rest in my indulgence list. I noticed there is a growing trend of baking breads at home, so why not include this delicious treat in your must-have bread project?

These pecan rolls use the basic sweet brioche dough as the base, but the sweetest twist is the filling and glaze itself. Think melted butter, brown sugar and maple syrup concoction infused with vanilla and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Now did I get you to salivate?

A few tips for busy bees, you can make the dough up to 3 days in advance. All you need to do is chill the dough after the first rise. Just roll the dough straight from the chiller and toss in the filling and glaze. Traditionally sticky pecan rolls are baked with the nuts and glaze on the bottom, so you would need to turn them upside down for serving. Or you know what, serve them as is, and let the guests be taken in by the surprise waiting for them on the first bite. You must bake these at home.

Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

A light and sweet brioche dough made decadent with pecan, maple syrup and butter glaze.

Serves: 12-15 rolls

Ingredients

• For dough:
• 380g bread flour
• 60g butter
• 50g sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 heaped tsp yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 100mls milk
• 100ml water
• For the sticky glaze and filling:
• 1½ cups chopped pecans
• 80g butter
• 4 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• a good pinch of sea salt
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Instructions

1. Using a dough hook, mix all the ingredients for the dough except water.
2. Knead on slow speed until all the ingredients are combined and add water gradually until soft elastic dough is formed. You may need slightly more or less water, as needed, as it really depends on the absorptive strength of the flour you used.
3. Leave the dough to rise in the greased bowl for an hour or until doubles in bulk.
4. Meanwhile prepare the filling.
5. In a saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and maple syrup until bubbling. Set aside.
6. When the dough has doubled, gently degas and roll the dough into a rectangle.
7. Brush the dough liberally with maple glaze and sprinkle the cinnamon powder and ⅓ of the chopped pecans.
8. Roll the dough tightly and cut into slices of 1 inch thickness.
9. Pour the remaining glaze into a casserole or baking tin.
10. Sprinkle the remaining pecans and place the rolls on top, about an inch apart from one another.
11. Let the rolls rise again for 20 mins. Preheat the oven to 190C.
12. Bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes until top is golden.
13. Serve warm.