Pecan Sticky Buns

I DID IT!  I was pretty sure I was not going to do this recipe.  I had slotted some time this past weekend to make these buns but after a long week of working, putting kiddos to bed, waking up with a teething baby, fighting a cold... it was looking doubtful.  There were signs upon signs telling me not to put one more thing on my plate (even if it was a giant plate of gooey, yummy sticky pecan buns).  Despite this, I picked up my friend's stand mixer on Friday night, still playing along with the calendar on my iPhone that stated "Pecan rolls" on Saturday.  And then I woke up Saturday, and said to myself, "Wait... I don't need to do this.  This baking group is just for fun and if I made these rolls right now it would not be fun, at all.  And if I really want a pecan bun I can go buy one down the street."   I even entertained the thought of dropping out of the baking group altogether.  I have enough things to do that aren't by choice right now, so the few things I do chose to do need to be fulfilling and rewarding and relaxing and not stressful.  That's a tall order.

So Saturday came and went and I didn't even think about the recipe.  Not even once.

The proofed sponge.

Sunday was a different story.  It must have been the 4-5 hour stretch of sleep I got the night before.  I had more energy.  And somewhere in the midst of naps and diapers and gardening I made the brioche sponge and then the brioche dough.  And it was fun.  It was like no other dough I have made and using the stand mixer was revolutionary for me.

The dough chilled overnight and Monday is a day off of work for me, so I was around the house enough to piece together the rest of the recipe throughout the day.  I wound up eating my Pecan Sticky Bun at 9pm on Monday night with a glass of milk (I debated whether or not to pair it with a glass of wine).  Not quite like I had envisioned in the morning with a cup of coffee but it was glorious.  And it was fun.  And it was way better than anything I could have bought.

Ready to bake.

My baking notes:
- I pretty much followed the recipe without variation.
- I used all the butter.  And I laminated the dough.   I would do the same next time.
- I upped the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp and I am glad I did.
- The mixer I borrowed was a Kitchen Aid Professional Series mixer and it didn't even break a sweat.
- I have 1/2 the recipe in my freezer- maybe this one will be made for breakfast!
- On one roll, I didn't trim the end and the bun came out all whompus so I would definitely trim all ends.

Look at all that butter!

For the complete recipe see our hosts:
Nicole of Cookies on Friday
Eat Drink Man Woman Dogs Cat