Sticky Pecan Buns

Ingredients for Sweet Dough:

1 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees)

2 envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon plus 2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

Directions for Sweet Dough:

In small bowl, stir together milk, yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until mixture bubbles, about 6 minutes. Stir again.

In medium bowl, mix remaining 2/3 cup sugar and orange peel.

Add flour, cinnamon, salt and ginger to bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on low speed. Add yeast mixture; mix on medium-low speed until dry shaggy mass forms, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add egg and extra egg yolk; beat on medium speed until well blended. Add sugar mixture; beat until moist soft dough that resembles thick batter forms, about 3 minutes.

Add butter by 1 tablespoon at a time; beat on medium-low speed until almost incorporated before adding more, about 2 minutes (dough will be sticky). Beat dough on medium-high 2 minutes longer. Let dough rest in bowl 10 minutes (dough will become less sticky).

Scrape dough onto work surface; gather together. Place in large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down; cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Ingredients for Sticky Pecan Topping:

1 1/2 cups golden brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, diced

3/4 cup honey

3 cups pecan halves

Directions for Sticking Pecan Topping:

Butter two 9" x 13" baking dishes. In small saucepan, whisk sugar, butter and honey over medium-low heat until smooth and bubbling around sides. Divide hot syrup between prepared baking dishes, allowing topping to cover bottom of each dish. Place pecan halves, rounded side down, in syrup, dividing equally. Cool.

Ingredients for Sticky Pecan Filling:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature

Directions for Sticky Pecan Filling:

In small bowl, whisk together both sugars and cinnamon.

Directions for Baking Buns:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Turn cold sweet dough out onto floured surface; sprinkle with flour. Divide dough in half. Roll out dough to two 15" x 12" rectangles. Using fingers, spread 2 tablespoons butter evenly over each rectangle. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each. Starting at long side of each dough rectangle, tightly roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing the filling. Using large knife, cut each roll crosswise into fifteen 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices, cut side down, atop cooled syrup and pecan halves in each baking dish, spacing evenly apart. Cover with waxed paper; let rise in warm draft-free area until buns are puffy and doubled, about 1 hour 45 minutes.

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven. Place dishes with sticky buns on two baking sheets. Bake buns until deep golden brown and filling is barely bubbling around edges, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let buns stand for two minutes. Cut around sides of buns to loosen. Place large rimmed platter atop each baking dish. Using oven mitts, firmly hold baking dish and platter together and invert buns onto platter. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve slightly warm.