Sticky Buns Recipe

These homemade sticky buns are such a treat! So gooey & sweet, and you can make them the day before & bake them fresh in the morning!

Today’s recipe has been on my baking list for what seems like an eternity: Sticky Buns!

I live in what is arguably the sticky bun capital of the world. Here in Pennsylvania Dutch country, sticky buns are a way of life. Walk into any bakery, grocery store, or farmers market and you will find sticky buns that will blow your mind.

When it comes to pastries like this, the Amish and the Mennonites are not messing around, believe me.

And I’ve learned from the best. Working in local bakeries all throughout my teens and twenties taught me everything I ever needed to know about how to make stuff like this. If you don’t believe me, just give my sour cream donuts, apple dumplings, and strawberry rhubarb pie a try. Those little ladies in their sturdy shoes and snow-white bonnets made sure I knew what was up.

This sticky buns recipe was born out of everything I learned from them. There’s soft, buttery yeast dough swirled around warm cinnamon and brown sugar, drenched in a gooey, buttery brown sugar caramel that will make your mouth water.

Nothing is better than waking up to the smell of these beauties baking! Except maybe tearing in, hot cup of coffee in hand.

WHAT ARE STICKY BUNS?

Sticky buns are very similar to cinnamon rolls, with the added bonus of the brown sugar glaze they’re baked in.

It’s a lot like an upside-down cake, in that the caramel goes on the bottom of the pan, the “cake” (or rolls actually) get baked on top, and then while it’s still warm the whole thing gets flipped out onto a platter. This allows the gooey glaze to stream down over the buns, coating them will all its deliciousness.

You can add chopped nuts and/or raisins to the topping, or just leave them plain, in all their god-given glory.

For an out-of-this-world cinnamon roll recipe, click here: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. For a knock-your-socks-off upside-down cake recipe, click here: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE STICKY BUNS

This baking project has a few different components, so if you’re looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon, you’ve come to the right place!

THE DOUGH

We should start with the dough since that is what takes the longest. It’s not at all difficult, but it does need time to rise so it’s best to make this first. That way you can work on the topping and filling while you wait.

Begin by adding sugar to warm water. The water should be lukewarm. If you have a thermometer, aim for 105 degrees F. If not, that’s ok- just make it the temperature of a baby’s bath. Be aware that if the water is too hot it can kill the yeast.

Sprinkle dry active yeast all over the surface of the sweetened water, and allow it to dissolve.

After about 5 or 10 minutes, it should look foamy.

If your yeast doesn’t foam up, it’s probably dead and you should start over. Be sure to check the expiration date on the package.

If it does foam, then you should be good to go onto the next step. Add the buttermilk, oil, egg, and salt to the mixture, and stir until it’s all combined.

Now it’s time to start adding flour.

It’s impossible for me to tell you exactly how much flour you’re going to need, because this can vary based on a lot of different factors.

Just keep kneading in a little at a time, until the dough is no longer sticky and it gathers itself into a ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. Stop adding flour as soon as it looks like this:

Now you want to give it a good long knead to really develop the glutens and give the bread that stretchy, elastic texture that’s so delicious. I find that 10 to 15 minutes of kneading usually does the trick. You can know for sure your glutens are well-developed by giving your dough the windowpane test (more on that below).

Once the dough has been kneaded, mist the bowl with non-stick spray, place the dough back in, and cover it with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it’s doubled in volume. In my kitchen, this usually takes about an hour, but again, every environment is different and yours could take more or less time.

THE TOPPING

While you’re waiting for your dough to rise, you can prep the topping. Back in my days working in a bakery, they used to call this stuff “goo.” Lol!

It’s a pretty accurate description but I think “caramel” or “butterscotch” or “brown sugar glaze” sounds a little more appetizing!

All you have to do is put brown sugar, honey, butter, and salt in a little bowl, and heat it gently in the microwave until the butter has melted.

Stir it all together, and there’s your goo made.

Pour this into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle on any add-ins you like. At my house, we especially love chopped walnuts, but pecans are a great choice as well. And when we get these at the shore, a lot of times they’ll add raisins too. Which I love, but my husband and kids would probably crucify me if I made ours this way!

THE FILLING

You are also going to need to mix up a little cinnamon and brown sugar action, to fill the rolls with.

Just stir everything together with a fork so there’s cinnamon running evenly all throughout.

HOW TO SHAPE THE ROLLS

Once your dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and get started shaping the rolls.

First, roll the dough out to a big rectangle. The dimensions of the rectangle are not as important as the thickness. The thinner you roll your dough, the more surface area to spread that yummy cinnamon brown sugar mixture over. And then you’ll have lots of filling spiraling all through.

Once you’ve got it nice and thin (around 1/8-inch), spread softened butter all over the surface. Then top that with the cinnamon brown sugar and spread it all out so it’s an even layer.

Then just roll it all up into a tight log.

Cut the log into 12 equal rolls, and nestle them (cut side up) into the gooey brown sugar glaze.

These will need to rise one more time.

HOW TO BAKE THEM

You can either give them their second rise and bake them right away, OR you can make overnight sticky buns. If you want to go the overnight route, just cover the unbaked sticky buns with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for up to 48 hours, or freeze them for up to 2 weeks.

When you’re ready to bake them, allow them to come to room temperature first, then let them rise until they’re doubled in bulk.

Then pop them into the oven and let them do their thing!

The gooey brown sugar topping will melt and bubble, and the rolls will puff up and start to turn golden brown. You’ll know they’re done when they’re set in the middle.

Allow them to cool in the pan for about 20 to 30 minutes, but flip them out onto a serving platter while they’re still warm. This way, the glaze is still melty and it will coat the sticky buns in the most tempting way!

TROUBLESHOOTING

Anything made with yeast is undoubtedly going to be a little trickier, so don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go exactly right the first time!

But please don’t let that intimidate you either. I’m outlining the most common pitfalls of bread making below, so if you look out for these things, you should be able to make these sticky buns no problem!

Sometimes yeast is dead right out of the package. Maybe it was stored in a hot warehouse for too long before it got to your supermarket shelf. Or perhaps it’s just past the expiration date.

Sometimes we accidentally kill our yeast by dissolving it in water that’s too hot. This is pretty common! When dissolving your yeast, aim for the temperature of a baby’s bath. It should really just be lukewarm, or around 105 degrees F.

If your yeast gets foamy and bubbly at first, but then your dough doesn’t rise, it may have something to do with the temperature in your kitchen. Look for a warm place to prove your dough, like near a heat vent or next to the fridge, or on a sunny windowsill.

WHY YEAST BREADS SOMETIMES COME OUT CRUMBLY

This problem can be attributed to not kneading the dough enough.

When we knead dough, it develops glutens in the wheat and creates that elastic texture that is so delicious and satisfying. If you don’t invest enough time in this step, you’ll end up with crumbly instead of stretchy.

Here is a great way to know if your dough has been kneaded long enough:

Pinch off a little piece of dough and using your fingertips, stretch it gently from the center outward. You should be able to pull it tissue-thin without it tearing. It should be so thin you can see the light passing through, just like a windowpane.

This is called the “windowpane” test, and it works for any kind of yeast dough. The more you know!

HOW LONG WILL STICKY BUNS KEEP?

These sticky buns can be left out at room temperature for a day or so. It’s best to cover them tightly so they don’t get dried out or stale around the edges.

If you still have leftovers after that, just pop them into the fridge. They’ll keep there for another 5 to 7 days.

CAN YOU FREEZE STICKY BUNS?

Sticky buns freeze beautifully! Wrap them well and they will last in the freezer for a couple of months. Thaw them at room temp or in the refrigerator.

HOW TO REHEAT STICKY BUNS

Nothing beats a warm sticky bun!

These can be warmed in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or you can wrap them loosely in foil and place them in a 170 degrees F oven until heated through.

You can also slice them horizontally, butter the cut sides, and toast them on a skillet over medium-high heat. In my area they call this a “grilled bun” and it is fan-freakin’-tastic!