Chef John's Sticky Buns

Recipe View In a mixing bowl, combine warm water and milk. Sprinkle yeast over the mixture. Let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.

Recipe View Add sugar, egg, and melted butter to the yeast mixture. Whisk to combine. Gradually add 75% of the flour along with the salt. Mix, adding more flour as needed, until a very soft and sticky dough forms. Knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Recipe View While the dough is rising, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter a 9x13-inch metal baking pan.

Recipe View In a bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, salt, melted butter, and water for the topping. Mix thoroughly until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly to cover the bottom. Scatter pecans evenly over the topping. Set aside.

Recipe View In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling. Mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Recipe View Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and press and stretch the dough to form an 18x15-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border along the edges. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the dough with your hands.

Recipe View Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder with lightly floured hands, being careful not to roll too tightly. Shape the cylinder as uniformly as possible, seam-side down. Lightly score the roll with the edge of a knife to indicate 12 equal portions.

Recipe View Slide a piece of string or floss under the dough, lining it up at the first knife mark. Cross the ends of the string over the top and pull in opposite directions to cut through the dough. Continue with the remaining dough.

Recipe View Transfer the buns into the prepared pan with the topping, making 3 rows of 4 buns. If one side of a bun has more dough than another, place the doughier side up in the pan. Tent the pan loosely with foil and let rise until buns have almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Recipe View Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a bun reaches 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), about 35 minutes. If the tops are getting too browned, loosely tent the pan with foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking time.

Recipe View Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the pan over onto a serving platter. Use a spoon to transfer any sticky topping that has remained in the pan. Let cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.