Cinnamon Sticky Buns

So by now you've noticed that most (ok, all) of my recipes are super simple and don't take a lot of time. Working full time and being a mom with an infant (and 3 dogs!) doesn't exactly give me a lot of time to dedicate to baking. That's why I even shocked myself with these sticky buns. They are definitely a lot more labor intensive than I normally have time for...seriously, look at these steps! I was quite impressed with myself. :)

P.S. I omitted the pecans, that is why they are not pictured in the filling.

Makes 3 batches of 9

For the dough:

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water

1 cup milk, room temp

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp, cut into small pieces

3 large eggs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

For the topping:

1 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light-brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

Filling:

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup pecans, toasted, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together yeast and warm water in a small bowl, let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, mix milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla on low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add yeast mixture, mix 1 minute. Add 4 cups of flour, mix until smooth.

Switch to dough hook, continue mixing and add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Beat on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large buttered bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Make topping: melt butter in a saucepan, stir in sugars and corn syrup. Cook, stirring, over low heat until sugars dissolve. Set aside.

Punch down dough, then turn out to a floured surface. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces; roll each into a ball (refridgerate or freeze what you are not using).

Assemble buns: Roll out dough ball in a 10x13 rectangle. Brush dough with melted butter. Top with filling, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Starting on one long side, roll into a log. Pinch dough edge on the log. Cut into nine slices, approximately 1 1/4 inch thick.

Divide 1 cup of topping into the nine cups of a large muffin tin (1 cup capacity) or cover the bottom of a 8 inch square baking pan. Place the buns in the tin or pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack on the lower level. Let sticky buns rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes until doubled in size. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until golden brown and bubbling, 30-35 minutes. Immediately turn out buns onto rack. Serve warm.