Extra Gooey Sticky Buns

Serve these extra gooey sticky buns for a special breakfast for Valentine's Day for your whole family or for that special someone. 

These sticky buns begin with an extra buttery brioche dough that is amazingly soft and tender. The dough is layered with cinnamon sugar and toasted pecans, and then is baked in a spectacular honey and brown sugar caramel sauce and topped with more toasted pecans. 

The brioche dough is pretty magical. Making it requires time and patience, but if you follow the instructions closely, you will be rewarded with a stretchy shiny dough that bakes into the most tender and soft bread. 

The recipe makes a double batch of dough. Feel free to use the other half to make a brioche loaf (see a photo at the end of this post, after the recipe), cinnamon buns, or individual rolls. You can also freeze the other half of the dough after the first rise for up to a week to make a second batch of these buns. 

This recipe was made famous in 2007 on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Food Network. Joanne Chang, the owner of Flour Bakery + Cafe in Boston, was challenged to make her famous sticky buns in a bake-off in front of TV cameras and a live audience against Chef Flay. The audience of about 100 customers were quizzed by the judges and Joanne Chang's sticky buns won! 

These sticky buns are super gooey. In fact, the sauce is actually famously named "goo!" There are about three cups of goo!

The recipe is featured in her first cookbook, Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe, published in 2010. She has since written three more cookbooks: Flour, Too, Myers and Chang at Home, and Pastry Love. I own them all! 

This recipe can also be found on the Food Network's website. 

Ingredients You Will Need:

For the Brioche Dough: 

Flours: Both unbleached all purpose flour and bread flour. 

Granulated Sugar. 

Kosher Salt: I used Diamond Crystal. If you use table salt or Morton's kosher salt, use a scale to weigh it (8 grams by weight) because volume measurement will result in too much salt. 

Cold Water.

Eggs. 

Unsalted Butter: Softened. 

For the "Goo" and the Filling:

Light Brown Sugar: For both the filling and the goo. 

Granulated Sugar. 

Cinnamon: Just a small amount. 

Unsalted Butter.

Honey. 

Heavy Cream. 

Water.

Kosher Salt. 

To Make These Sticky Buns:

First, make the brioche dough. You will definitely need a stand mixer to mix the dough, especially when incorporating the butter into the dough. Divide the softened butter into about 10 to 12 pieces and add them to the running mixer, one at a time. The trick is to not add additional butter until each piece is incorporated. This is a fairly long process. 

After you've incorporated all of the butter, turn the mixer speed up to medium and knead for an additional 15 minutes. I like to use a timer. The dough should be smooth and shiny, and hold together. 

Once you've made the dough, let it rise in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. While the dough is chilling, you can make the goo and let it cool. 

To assemble the buns, roll the dough out to a 12 inch by 16 inch rectangle and sprinkle it with a cinnamon, sugar, and pecan mixture. 

Next, roll up the dough lengthwise and cut it into 8 rolls with a bench scraper or your sharpest chef's knife. Pour the goo into a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish, add more pecans to the dish, and then arrange the rolls in two rows. 

Cover the rolls and let them rise at room temperature for about two hours. They should be puffy and touching each other. 

Bake the rolls for 35 to to 45 minutes and then let the rolls sit in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes to slightly cool (they will still be pretty warm).

Transfer the rolls to a platter, turning them upside down, one at a time. Top the rolls with the rest of the goo and pecans. While many sticky roll recipes call for turning the whole pan upside down all at once, turning them over one at a time is safer with all of that sauce!

These rolls are wonderful served warm. To reheat them the next day, warm them in a 300 degree oven for five to ten minutes. 

Equipment You May Need:

Stand Mixer: You will definitely need a stand mixer for incorporating the butter into the dough. I used a 7 quart pro KitchenAid. If you use a smaller KitchenAid, such as the Artisan, you might need to let the mixer rest a bit so that it doesn't over heat. A Bosch mixer or an Ankarsrum should easily handle the dough. 

Sharp Chef's Knife: For cutting the dough into rolls. 

Kitchen Scale: For accurate measurements, especially for the salt and the flour. 

9 inch by 13 inch Baking Dish: The sides should be fairly tall, at least 3 to 4 inches, because the goo will bubble up quite a bit while the rolls are baking. If you're concerned, you could place a baking sheet on a lower rack to catch any spills. 

Make-Ahead Options:

After the first rise, you can freeze the dough for up to week.

After shaping the rolls, you can also freeze the unbaked rolls for up to a week, individually wrapped. 

You can also make the goo two weeks in advance and keep it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 

Bread Bakers:

This month, the Bread Bakers theme is Loaves of Love!

• Food Lust People Love: Cheddar Marmite Rolls 
• Passion Kneaded: Cheesy Twisted Heart Bread 
• A Messy Kitchen: Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread 
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Double Chocolate Muffins 
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Extra Gooey Sticky Buns 
• Sneha's Recipe: Heart Shaped Rolls 
• Zesty South Indian Kitchen: Rose Petal Pistachio Cardamom Sourdough Bread – A Love Infused Artisan Loaf

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. 

 

Extra Gooey Sticky Buns

Yield: 8 Buns

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 2 HourCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 8 HourTotal time: 10 H & 40 M

Serve these extra gooey sticky buns for a special breakfast for Valentine's Day for your family or for that special someone. 

Ingredients

For the Brioche Dough

• 2 1/4 cups (315 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups (340 grams) bread flour
• 3 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (82 grams) sugar
• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (120 grams) cold water
• 5 eggs
• 2 3/4 sticks (310 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 10 to 12 pieces

For the Goo

• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (330 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (115 grams) honey
• 1/3 cup (80 grams) heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (80 grams) water
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Sticky Rolls

• 1/2 batch of the brioche dough. Use the rest to make an 9 inch by 5 inch sandwich loaf or brioche dinner rolls.
• 1/4 cup (55 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (100 grams) toasted chopped pecans

Instructions

For the Brioche Dough

1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix on low speed for another 3 to 4 minutes.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the butter, 1 piece at a time, mixing after each addition until it disappears into the dough. Once the butter is incorporated, continue mixing on low for about 10 minutes.
3. Next, turn up the speed to medium and beat for another 15 minutes. The dough eventually will become smooth and shiny. Finish by turn the speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute.
4. Put the dough in a large bowl or plastic container and press plastic wrap directly onto the dough surface. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or up to overnight. The dough will more than double in size.

To Make the Goo

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and cook, stirring, to combine.
2. Remove from the heat and whisk in the honey, cream, water, and salt. Let cool to room temperature. You should have about 3 cups.

To Make the Sticky Buns

1. Divide the dough in half. Use half for this recipe and use the other half for another recipe (see photo below for a sandwich loaf made from this dough).
2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the brioche into rectangle about 12 by 16 inches and 1/4-inch thick. It should be fairly easy to roll. Position the rectangle so a short side is facing you.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and half of the pecans. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Starting from the short side farthest from you, fairly tightly roll up the rectangle like a jelly roll. Trim off about 1/4- inch from each end of the roll.
4. Use a sharp chef's knife to cut the roll into 8 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2-inches wide.
5. Pour the goo into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spreading evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the rest of the pecans evenly over the surface. Arrange the buns, evenly spaced, in the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let the buns proof until the dough is puffy and soft and the buns are touching, about 2 hours.
6. With a rack in the center, heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Bake until golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the dish on a wire rack for 20 to 30 minutes. One bun at a time, invert the buns onto a serving platter, and ladle the rest of the goo and pecans from the bottom of the dish over the top.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

869

Fat (grams)

33 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

18 g

Carbs (grams)

63 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

61 g

Sugar (grams)

34 g

Protein (grams)

8 g

Cholesterol (grams)

121 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2026/02/extra-gooey-sticky-buns.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

sticky buns

bread

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it #karenskitchenstories