Vegan Pecan Sticky Buns
If miss going out to brunch on the weekends, upgrade your at home brunch game with these divine Pecan Sticky Buns that are vegan! Shanika from Orchids + Sweet Tea shares her sticky, flavorful and gooey recipe. You can read more tips and tricks to perfect the recipe on her blog.
“They are SOFT, FLUFFY, + BRIOCHE-LIKE in texture. Yup. I love making my cinnamon rolls more brioche-like. Who doesn’t love the extra ‘pillowy-ness’ of it all?”
INGREDIENTS
2 cups Organic All-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3 cups Artisan Bread flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 1/4 tsps!)
1/2 cup organic brown sugar + 1 Tbsp (I use Sugar in the Raw!)
1 1/4 cup Almond milk (I use Califia Farms; You can use your fave plant-based milk)
1/4 cup WARM fresh water
1/4 cup vegan butter (That's 4 Tbsps; I use Earth Balance)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Praline Caramel Filling:
3/4 cup organic brown sugar (I use Sugar in the Raw!)
4 Tbsps vegan butter
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Brioche Dough:
Start by combining the yeast and 1 Tbsp brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and then slowly pouring in the warm water, while stirring everything together. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and the yeast to activate (It’ll become foamy when done right!).
Meanwhile, melt the butter and milk together over the stove top on low to medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter has fully melted. NOTE: You don’t want the mixture to get too hot or boil! Set aside and let it cool until WARM.
Add lukewarm butter-milk mixture to yeast and mix until well combined.
Next, combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, sea salt and cinnamon to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined.
Change “mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on medium-high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is too sticky, add 1 Tbsp of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
Once dough ball is perfectly kneaded, add it to a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit and rise for 1 hour to an hour + 15 minutes.
In the meantime, you can work on the filling!
For the Praline Caramel Filling:
Heated over medium-high heat, in a small saucepan, add the vegan butter, organic brown sugar, and sea salt, stirring until well combined. Once heated through, this mixture will begin to liquify a bit and become bubbly.
Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add canned coconut milk, whisking frequently, for about 3-4 minutes until the sauce becomes like caramel sauce (although it will be liquid-y at first).
Remove from heat and fold in the toasted pecans. Keep stirring (using a rubber spatula) for another minute or so until pecans are well dressed in the sauce. Set aside and cool for about 5 minutes so that the sauce can thicken.
Divide sauce into three even amounts, setting one half to the side for after baking.
Assembly + Bake:
Once the hour has gone by and your dough has risen (about double its original size), preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, flour a flat surface and place the dough on it and using a rolling-pin, roll it out to a rectangle (approximately 9″x14), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
Then, generously spoon half of the Praline Caramel sauce atop of dough, spreading evenly and sprinkle a bit of pecans.
Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5″ rolls.
In prepared baking dish (lined with parchment), pour the set aside half of sauce into dish and evenly spread out using a spatula.
Place each roll into baking dish atop the Praline Caramel sauce until all rolls are side by side.
Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).
Remove the rolls from oven and immediately add remaining Praline Caramel Sauce to the tops of buns, followed by chopped pecans, if desired.
Best when served warm.
Bon Appetite!
If you take a try at the recipe, make sure to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ and @omgdessertgoals! And if you’d like to see more treats and delicious eats, checkout more from Orchids + Sweet Tea.
