Sweet and nutty with a cinnamon swirl and decadent maple caramel sauce, these homemade sticky buns are the definition of comfort food!

Pro Tip: To save time and energy, you can also use pre-made cinnamon rolls and our Fresh to Market Caramel Sauce.

Preparation

For the dough, warm milk to 100°F. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let dissolve, 2–3 minutes.

In an electric mixer, add 2 cups of flour, sugar, melted butter, eggs, egg yolk, and salt. Add the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed with a dough hook for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour and mix on low speed until fully incorporated and dough is pulling from the sides—dough will be sticky. 

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead 10–12 times to shape into a ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover loosely, and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down dough and roll out on a floured surface to ¼ inch thick, creating a rectangle that's about 14x20 inches.

To make the filling, mix all ingredients with your hands until evenly incorporated. Filling should be crumbly. Spread filling to within ½ inch of the edge of the dough and then roll into a pinwheel, seam-side down.

To make the topping, combine maple syrup, brown sugar, and butter in a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the pecans, then pour the caramel sauce evenly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Use a serrated knife to cut rolled dough into approximately 1½-inch slices, then place cut-side down on top of the caramel sauce. Loosely cover with plastic and let rise until they have nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Bake sticky buns for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn out on a serving plate, scraping all sauce over the top. Serve warm.