Sticky Buns

Boy, were these goooood. They took about 4 hours from start to finish. Traditionally, sticky buns contain pecans, but I used walnuts because that's what we had in the freezer. The brioche dough is from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and the "goo" (caramel sauce) is from this recipe. I actually prefer this dough recipe over Pioneer Woman's cinnamon roll recipe (I know-I was surprised!).

A note on how to rise the brioche dough: rise it in the oven to reduce rising time! I preheat my oven for about 1 minute until it is about 100-105 degrees. Then I place the dough (covered with a towel) on the middle rack and quickly close the oven door.

Makes 12 sticky buns

For the Brioche:

3/4 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (1 packet)
2 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
3 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt,eggs, honey, and melted butter with the water in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the flour until all of the flour is incorporated. Cover and allow to rise for 2-3 hours (see note above on rising dough in the oven). This dough is very wet and will not look like a traditional dough- don't worry! It all turns out good in the end :) Also, for better handling of the dough, I placed the bowl of dough in the fridge for the last half of the rising time. Otherwise, the dough would have been an absolute pain to roll out. You can leave the dough in the fridge for a few days if need be.

For the "goo" (caramel sauce):

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup heavy cream (I used skim milk- worked just great!)
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped

Melt butter in saucepan. Whisk in sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the other ingredients. Pour into a 13 x 9 pan. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Before placing rolls on the "goo," sprinkle on the chopped nuts.

For the filling of the Sticky Buns:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons melted butter

Stir together.

To assemble the Sticky Buns:

On a heavily (seriously) floured surface, roll out dough until it is roughly the size of a sheet pan. Sprinkle on the filling and spread it to the sides of the dough. It may look like there's not enough filling, but be still, and know that the goo will make up for it.

Tightly roll up the dough and with a pastry scrapper, and cut into 12 evenly sized pieces. Place rolls on top of the goo and lightly cover with plastic wrap and rise for 1-2 hours in the oven (see note above picture).

Remove the plastic wrap and with the rolls still in the oven, preheat to 350 degrees and immediately set the timer for 35 minutes. You may need to place a piece of aluminum foil over the sticky buns if they become too browned. Let cool for 20 minutes on a wire rack (I used a trivet). Serve sticky buns by flipping over the bun so the caramel (goo) and nut side is facing up.