Pecan Sticky Buns, Gluten Free

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake up the yeast

   Stir the warm milk, yeast, and granulated sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer and let it sit for about 5 minutes until lightly foamy. If nothing happens after 10 minutes, start again with fresh yeast.

2. 2

   Mix the dough

   Add the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, eggs, melted butter, and vinegar. Mix with the paddle attachment — not the dough hook — on low until combined, then beat on medium for 3 minutes. The result is a thick, sticky batter closer to cookie dough than bread dough. That's correct; resist the urge to add more flour.

3. 3

   Rest to hydrate

   Cover the bowl and let the dough sit at room temperature for 25 minutes. Gluten-free starches drink slowly, and this rest is what turns a gritty, slack batter into something firm enough to shape. Skip it and the buns bake up gummy.

4. 4

   First rise

   Scrape the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let it rise somewhere warm for 60 to 75 minutes. It will puff noticeably and look airy but will not double the way wheat dough does — don't wait for it to.

5. 5

   Cook the caramel

   Melt the butter, dark brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles gently, about 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the cream and vanilla. Pour into a buttered 9x13-inch pan, tilt to coat, and scatter the toasted pecans over the surface.

6. 6

   Spread and fill

   Grease a 16-by-12-inch sheet of parchment. Scrape the dough onto it and, using an oiled spatula or damp hands, press it into a rectangle roughly that size and an even 1/4 inch thick. Smooth any tears closed with a wet fingertip. Spread the softened filling butter over the surface, leaving a bare 1/2-inch strip along the far long edge, then sprinkle over the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

7. 7

   Roll using the parchment

   Lift the long edge of the parchment nearest you and use it to roll the dough forward into a log, peeling the paper back as you go rather than touching the dough. Pinch the seam shut. Slide the log, still on its parchment, onto a tray and freeze for 25 minutes — chilled gluten-free dough slices cleanly, while room-temperature dough smears.

8. 8

   Slice and second rise

   Cut the chilled log into 12 pieces with unflavored dental floss and arrange them cut side up over the caramel and pecans. Cover loosely and rise 50 to 70 minutes, until visibly puffy and just touching. Heat the oven to 350°F toward the end.

9. 9

   Bake

   Bake 22 minutes, then tent with foil and bake another 12 to 18 minutes. Gluten-free buns need to go further than wheat ones — pull them at 205 to 210°F in the center. Anything cooler leaves a damp, pasty crumb even when the tops look perfectly browned.

10. 10

    Flip while hot

    Rest the pan 5 minutes, run a knife around the edges, cover with a rimmed platter, and flip in one confident motion. The caramel is molten, so use oven mitts. Scrape out any clinging caramel and let the buns cool at least 20 minutes — gluten-free crumb firms up considerably as it cools and is fragile straight from the oven.

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Baker's Tips

• 1.

  Toast the pecans at 350°F for 7 to 9 minutes before they go in the pan. Raw pecans steam under the caramel and taste flat; toasted ones stay crisp and nutty.

• 2.

  An instant-read thermometer is the only reliable doneness test here. The caramel browns the outside fast, so color alone will fool you into pulling them underbaked.

• 3.

  To bake them for breakfast, assemble through step 8, cover tightly, and refrigerate up to 18 hours. Pull the pan out an hour before baking to take the chill off, then bake as directed, adding about 5 minutes.

• 4.

  Swap the corn syrup for pure maple syrup if you want a more pronounced flavor in the topping — it stays slightly looser but tastes wonderful.

• 5.

  If the dough fights back while you're rolling it out, walk away for 10 minutes. Rested gluten stretches; rushed gluten springs back and gives you a short, thick rectangle.