Mascarpone-Glazed Sticky Buns
Ingredients
Ingredients
DOUGH
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 1 ¾ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus ½ tablespoon, melted
BUNS
- 1 ¾ cups chopped pecans
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 egg
GLAZE
- 4 ounces mascarpone room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Instructions
DOUGH
- Warm milk 3 to 4 minutes in a saucepan set over medium heat. Transfer milk to a medium bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk gently to combine. Let mixture sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add flour, salt, and remaining sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir to combine.
- Add eggs to milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour into stand mixer bowl and stir to combine. Turn mixer to medium speed and add butter, 1 piece at a time, mixing well between additions. Once all butter is added, mix on medium speed 1 minute more. Turn mixer to medium-high and knead dough 5 minutes or until soft and smooth.
- Grease a large bowl with ⅓ of the melted butter. Add dough and brush with remaining melted butter. Cover bowl with a dishtowel and set in a warm, draft-free spot to rise (the inside of a cold oven works well) until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours. Once dough has risen, chill 2 hours.
BUNS
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Add butter, brown sugar, spices, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Turn dough out onto a clean, floured work surface and roll into a 12-inch-by-16-inch rectangle (long side closest to you). Spread cinnamon-sugar mixture over dough, leaving a 1-inch border on farthest side. Sprinkle ¾ cup pecans over cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Beginning with the side closest to you, roll dough into a log and pinch end seams closed. Using a serrated knife, slice log into 9 pieces. Lay pieces flat, then gently pat tops to flatten slightly. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan and transfer sticky buns to pan. Cover pan with a dishtowel and let rise until doubled once more, about 1 hour.
- Heat oven to 350°F. Whisk egg with ½ teaspoon water and brush bun tops with egg wash. Bake rolls, rotating pan halfway through, 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden and filling is bubbling. Let buns cool while you prepare the glaze.
GLAZE
- Add mascarpone, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Fold in ½ cup pecans. Spread glaze evenly over baked buns. Top with remaining toasted pecans. Let cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Rebecca Haley-Park
Rebecca Haley-Park is culture's former editor and resident stinky cheese cheerleader. A native New Englander, she holds a BFA in creative writing from University of Maine at Farmington.
Photographer Evi Abeler
Evi Abeler is a food and still life photographer based in New York City. She helps art directors, cookbook authors and designers to communicate the love, passion and thought that goes into every project and creates modern, yet classic images. Her clients in advertising, publishing, hospitality and retail include Food & Wine Magazine (which named her Digital Food Award Winner), Harper Collins Publishing and Whole Foods Markets.
Leigh Belanger
Leigh Belanger is culture's former food editor. She's been a food writer, editor, and project manager for over a decade— serving as program director for Chefs Collaborative and contributing to local newspapers and magazines. Her first book, The Boston Homegrown Cookbook, was published in 2012. She lives and cooks in Boston with her family.
