Palm Sunday Sticky Buns

I made sticky buns the other day, as a festal treat for Flowery Sunday.  I would have liked to post a picture of all their gooey-nutty-sweet goodness.  I would have liked to share all the lovely steps I took, making the dough, rolling it out and putting the filling in.

But they were too good. And I was in a hurry. And we were hungry. We devoured them.

So I'll just have to share the recipe for now. I'll make them again another time (after Easter) and take pictures... hopefully ;)

I mostly used this recipe, but halved it (it's still a fast, after all) and used a 9" round cake pan, instead of a 13x9. I felt like their instructions (for me) were too chatty (too many hints and tips interrupting the recipe (much like this sentence)), so I've re-written the recipe here, simple-like.

Pecan Sticky Buns
goo:
2 T butter
1/2 c sugar (or maple syrup (or agave))
2 T molasses
1-2 T cinnamon (to taste)
1 c pecans (whole or pieces)

dough:
3 c. white flour
1 (scant) T yeast
1 tsp salt
1/4 c maple syrup (or agave nectar)
2 T oil
1/2 c warm water (plus additional, if dough is too dry)

filling:
butter
cinnamon sugar
pecans
raisins

Mix goo ingredients in a small saucepan on the stove until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are well-incorporated. Pour into 9" round cake pan and sprinkle nuts in a nice layer over goo.  Set aside.

Place all dry ingredients (including the yeast) in a mixing bowl and combine well.  Add the oil and syrup to the warm water and (with the mixer on) add to the dry ingredients just until a smooth dough forms.

Turn dough onto kneading surface and roll out to an 8" x 12" rectangle.  Slather on butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, nuts of choice, and raisins (if you want).  Starting from the long end, roll into a log, sealing the edge with a bit of water.

Slice log into 2" rolls and place on top of nutty-goo in cake pan.  Leave a little room between the rolls so they can rise.  Dot top of rolls with butter.  Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 - 2 hours [you may note, the original recipe calls for two risings of the dough.  The printed version I had was hard to read so I totally missed that step. Let the rolls rise until they look more roll-ish and less anorexic. Depending on the warmth in your kitchen, it may take longer than 2 hours].  When they look almost ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (give it a good 30 minutes to preheat).

Bake for about 20-25 minutes (they should be firm and sound a bit hollow when you tap the middle ones).

Remove from oven and flip pan over onto serving plate (this way the goo is all on top). Allow to cool before devouring (this would have been a good time to get a picture. Oh well) :)

Next time, I might try this recipe--these buns look fluffier :)