Ridiculously Easy No-Knead Sticky Buns
Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François' wonderful book, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day," is the inspiration for these sticky buns. We took the authors' dough recipe, and tweaked it a tiny bit; then added our own favorite filling and topping. If you're someone who enjoys over-the-top sweet rolls, without a lot of fuss, this recipe's for you.
Note that you have some choices for the filling. Our Baker's Cinnamon Filling mixed with water yields a dark, thick, rich cinnamon filling. But if you choose not to use it, simply mix granulated sugar with cinnamon (NO WATER!), and sprinkle it over the dough for a lighter, milder filling.
Read our blog about these sticky buns, with additional photos, at Bakers' Banter.
Dough
- 6 3/4 cups or 7 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*
- 1 tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons instant yeast
- 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
- *See step #1, below.
Filling
- 2/3 cup Baker's Cinnamon filling* mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- *Substitute 2/3 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the Baker's Cinnamon Filling and water, if desired. If you use sugar and cinnamon, DO NOT ADD THE WATER.
Topping
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey, or corn syrup, light or dark
- 3 tablespoons Sticky Bun Sugar*
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup pecan halves or coarsely chopped pecans
- *Substitute brown sugar for the sticky bun sugar, if desired
Directions
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1) The flour/liquid ratio is important in this recipe. If you measure flour by sprinkling it into your measuring cup, then gently sweeping off the excess, use 7 3/4 cups. If you measure flour by dipping your cup into the canister, then sweeping off the excess, use 6 3/4 cups. Most accurate of all, and guaranteed to give you the best results, if you measure flour by weight, use 33 ounces. |
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2) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients, in the order written, in a very large bowl (at least 6 quarts). Stir to make a sticky dough. You can do this in a stand mixer and then transfer to a larger bowl; or simply use a big bowl and spoon (or dough whisk). |
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4) Refrigerate the dough for at least several hours, to chill it and make it easier to work with. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before using. |
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9) Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a narrow margin around the edges uncovered. |
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15) Remove the pan from the oven, and turn it over onto a piece of parchment, or onto a cooling rack set over a piece of parchment or waxed paper (to catch any drips). |
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16) Lift off the pan, and scrape any nuts or sugar in the pan onto the buns. |
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17) Serve immediately, or let the buns cool a bit. Wrap any leftovers securely, and store at room temperature. |
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Yield: 8 sticky buns. |
Recipe summary
- Hands-on time:
- 15 mins. to 20 mins.
- Baking time:
- 40 mins. to 45 mins.
- Total time:
- 5 hrs 55 mins. to 3 days 2 hrs 5 mins.
- Yield:
- 8 big buns
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- Recipe comments (40) »
Tips from our bakers
- Want to make four batches of buns instead of three? Simply divide the dough into four 1-pound pieces (instead of three 22-ounce pieces), and bake each batch of 8 buns in an 8" round pan, instead of in a 9" round pan. There's no need to change the amounts of any of the filling or topping ingredients.
- Want warm sticky buns in the morning? Shape the buns, place them in the pan, cover, and let rise overnight in the fridge. Next morning, remove from the fridge, preheat your oven, and bake till golden brown. It might take about 5 minutes longer than the recipe indicates; just keep your eye on them towards the end.
Reviews
01/29/2010
These rolls are "awesome". My husband said that he has tasted many of these rolls over the years and these are the best he has ever had. As a friend described them after two days-Award Winning!!!They still tasted fresh.
01/16/2010
Hi, like so many others I have great sucess with so many KAF recipes BUT, cinnamon rolls have become a frustration to me. Ive made these three times now, each time with improvement. This last time they rose beautifully looked and smelled wonderful. But when you take the first bite it tastes like yeast. I thought maybe this is what homemade bread tastes like, but the easy white bread ive made doesn't have that strong yeast taste. Ive rated this still high because I know somehow it'd a failure on my end. Its judt so frustrating to put all the time, energy and love into vthem and have them not taste good. Please what am I doing wrong!!!!!
I don't think you are doing anything "wrong". This just may be one of those recipes that you don't prefer the results. If the flavor is too strong of yeast, try reducing the yeast by 25% and see if that makes this more agreeable to your palate. Frank @ KAF.
12/28/2009
As promised this was an easy sticky bun recipe. The dough was soft and elastic, very simple to roll. This was a big batch of dough and I divided it into thirds and only made 8 buns. I made these the night before and took them out of the fridge on Christmas morning. I let them sit on the counter for 1 hour while the oven pre-heated, then baked and they were gobbled up by everyone. I had 2 rolls left and the next day they were inedible because the topping was rock hard. Since this recipe makes so much dough, I experimented with great results. That evening I rolled the extra dough, brushed it with butter, covered the butter with fresh garlic and basil, rolled, cut and let rise. Then baked them for dinner and they were delicious. They are definitely not a soft roll, but they have a lot of character and can hold fillings really well. I am sending some of these down to my dad in Virginia, so I will experiment with Joan's freezing ideas. I find everyone's comments to be extremely helpful and thanks for the tips.
12/27/2009
Our family recipe calls for a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar (dry) on the dough before rolling. To keep the filling from "falling out", try brushing the dough with melter butter prior to adding the filling. Also, we add a little butter to the topping (just dot it on the other ingredients) and the topping never hardens to the point where it sticks to your teeth. Thanks KAF for making us all better bakers!
12/27/2009
This was a fantastic recipe. The dough was so easy! And i love how KAF suggests you can prepare and freeze these for a later date (see Bakers' Banter blog, 11/28/09). I didn't have the sticky bun filling, so the sugar and cinnamon was a little messy, falling out when I cut the rolls - I might try buttering the dough first before I spread the sugar mixture on next time. I made the first batch using maple syrup in the topping, with a 9" cake pan - it bubbled over a LOT. The second batch was honey in the topping in a 9" cake pan, which wasn't as bad, but still very bubbly. Maybe the buns had too much room in a 9" and let the topping escape? The third batch was made Christmas morning and I did it in a round bundt pan and wow!! perfection. I'll never go back to store bought again.
12/26/2009
I found that this dough was a delight to work with and rolled extremely well. I have made this recipe 3 times. I prefer to make all the buns in 1 or 2 bathces. I found that the best time to freeze is after completely baked. The topping is a delight as well.
12/21/2009
I just finished making these "Sticky Bunbs". They are the best I ever made. I thought I put too much flour but no they were perfect. I made them for gifts. I cannot wait for the oohs and aahs. Thank you again a wonderful recipe and pictorial which helped me a lot.
12/19/2009
Made these for my husband's birthday breakfast—amazing! So easy, so delicious.
Now I want to make them for gifts and am wondering if I should freeze the unbaked buns with the topping or not?
Freeze with the topping-have you see the excellent blog PJ did? http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/11/28/freeze-time-savers-for-the-holidays/-she covers all the details. Joan D@bakershotline
12/14/2009
Astonishing! This recipe has made a baker and a believer out me. I did not have 'Bakers Cinnamon Filling' nor 'Sticky Bun Sugar' and being a sceptic of recipes offered by purveyors; expected little. I can give no higher praise for this sublime recipe especially given my ineptitude with careful measurement and ignorance of yeast. One cautionary note; check for doneness early. Mine were perfect at 35 minutes despite the fact that they went in cold (rested in 'frige' overnight; my oven temp is spot on). The internal temp (190) provided on the Blog was very helpful. P.S. This is my 1st on-line review after years of sourcing countless recipes from the web. Praise indeed; Bravo! Thank you kindly KAF.
12/10/2009
I made these just as directed, using KAF sticky bun sugar and cinnamon filling. Preparation was so easy! The dough was easy to work with and it rose nicely. Absolutely outstanding! My one complaint: The cinnamon filling goes so fast; it should come in a larger bag. Thanks for another winner!
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