Brioche dough made in a bread machine? Yes please! The trick to making this even easier? Overnight fermentation in your fridge. Make the dough in the evening and refrigerate overnight. Not only is most of the “work” done by the morning, but the notoriously challenging brioche dough is chilled and MUCH easier to work with.
Sticky buns are very similar to cinnamon rolls. The only real difference is the way they are placed in the pan. With the addition of nuts and a caramel type glaze, versus a frosting, they take comfort food to another level. Almost glamorous for lack of a better word.
So many recipes I looked at used a “sticky” dough so I went with my “tried and true” Sweet Brioche. It is certainly a decadent and sticky dough if there ever was one, and perfect for this recipe.
I made them for Valentine’s Day this year, but I never need a special occasion to whip up a treat. If you like cinnamon rolls, then you will LOVE these sticky buns filled with a cinnamon spice blend. They are topped off with a gooey Maple Orange Sauce that is a glorious way to start the day.
The glaze is easy to make on the stove top. It has lots of butter and a touch of real maple syrup. The perfect flavors for a sweet breakfast. I also added the zest of one orange to brighten it up. Since citrus is in season right now, it is the perfect excuse to throw it in.
Truth be told I got a late start that day and had no plan other than my usual brioche dough that had been made the night before. As I served these onto the platter I was relieved to see my morning “improv” was a success. My daughter went to school one happy girl!
If you are also in the market for a good Overnight Cinnamon Roll check out my recipe here.
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What You’ll Need:
A few of these things are optional, adapt and use what you have. This was my first time making sticky buns, I had no plan and they were amazing. If I can do it, you can too! They don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be delicious. Sticky buns are a classic and I hope these will also become your new family favorite.
Bread Machine– Any 1.5 or 2-pound bread machine works because we aren’t baking anything in the machine. We only need to use the dough cycle. I love my bread machine, it is far easier for me to make breads in the machine vs. the stand mixer.
Silicone Spatula– (optional) I use a soft, small spatula to gently bring down any ingredients stuck to the sides of the bread pan during the first mix. If you don’t have one, no worries. Just use something small and soft so you don’t scratch the non-stick coating.
Whole Milk– This is a luxurious breakfast or brunch treat, so I go for the good stuff. I do not recommend any substitutions and room temperature or up to 100 F is best when working with yeasted doughs.
Large Eggs– Room temperature is best.
Vanilla Extract
Unsalted Butter- You will need about 3 sticks of unsalted butter. Unfortunately margarine won’t work. The water/fat ratio in real butter is important for the success of the dough and the glaze. Not to mention, margarine is salted. Use the real unsalted stuff.
Bread Flour- I often use bread flour and all-purpose interchangeably. Not for this recipe. You NEED the higher gluten content in this super rich dough. It absorbs much better and is a must for this is a very sticky dough.
White Sugar- For the dough recipe.
Brown Sugar- For the glaze and the filling.
Salt
Instant Yeast- I always use instant yeast. I recommend buying a jar or 1-pound block and storing it in the freezer. If you have had it for a long time, be sure to test it before making this recipe. It should bubble up within 5-10 minutes when placed in a cup of warm water (100 F) and a teaspoon of sugar. Do not use the tested yeast in your recipe, be sure to throw it away.
Large Bowl & Plastic Wrap
Rolling Pin
Digital Scale– (optional)
Digital Thermometer– (optional) It is optional, but is VERY helpful and HIGHLY recommended to make sure you don’t serve raw dough.
Pastry Mat- (optional) I have used my pastry mat for all my bread making. I especially love the quick clean up and the measurements.
Pastry Brush– (optional) This is for spreading the melted butter on the dough before the spice filling. The back of a spoon works well too in a pinch.
Baking Dish, Baking Sheet, & Foil- Aluminum or stainless steel bakes more evenly. Keep in mind if you are using a glass dish or a dark coated non-stick, please lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees (bake at 325 F) to prevent burning along the edges.
I use well greased 9″ round aluminum pan and it fits 8 rolls perfectly. Place the dish on a baking sheet to catch and drips from the glaze, it can bubble over during baking as the dough increases in size and the sugar heats up. Better to catch it on a baking sheet than to clean it off the bottom of your oven.
Be sure to cover the buns with foil at least half way through the baking. Because the dough is so rich and buttery, it takes a fair amount of time to cook it through and you don’t want the tops to burn before the middle has a chance to finish. Adding the foil loosely, still allows them to rise beautifully as well.
REAL Maple Syrup
Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Nutmeg- I use a blend of these three spices, but you can just stick to cinnamon if that is easier. Both ways taste fantastic.
Pecans or Walnuts– You can use unsalted pecans or walnuts. Even a combination of both works great. If you can’t have nuts, just skip them. The glaze is the most important part anyways.
Orange Zest- (optional) about the zest of one orange.
Serving Platter or Large Plate- For serving.
Tips & Tricks
Make Ahead: Cold overnight fermentation in the fridge transforms what would be a difficult dough into something dreamy and easy. Don’t skip this step, not only is it easier but the time & chilling enhances the flavor of the dough.
Dough Cycle: Follow your manufacturer’s instructions when adding the ingredients. The recipe is written from wet to dry because that has been the standard for all the machines I have used. Always remove the bread pan from the machine and double check that the paddle is inserted before adding the ingredients.
Final Rise: Cover loosely with a lint free cloth (I use flour sack towels) and place in a warm area for about 20 minutes depending on the warmth of your kitchen. We are not looking for doubled. Just about 50%. Because the dough was chilled overnight, it will puff up quite a bit in the oven. We don’t want to over proof the buns so about 20 minutes should be sufficient.
Serving: Place the platter over the pan and flip over carefully. Scoop out any remaining glaze and nuts and place on top. Serve hot.
Orange Maple Brioche Sticky Buns
Equipment
- 1 1.5 or 2-pound bread machine,
Ingredients
Sweet Brioche Dough (Make Ahead)
- 6 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
Orange Maple Glaze:
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons orange zest, about one orange
- 1 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, unsalted & chopped (optional)
Sugar & Spice Filling:
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled, & set aside
Instructions
Dough:
- Get ready to make your dough no more than 12-16 hours in advance.
- Remove the pan from your bread machine and make sure paddle is inserted. Add ingredients in the order they are written (wet to dry, butter last) or as recommended by manufacturer's directions. NOTE: I make 3 wells in the flour, one for the sugar, one for the yeast, and one for the salt. Keeping the salt a yeast separate until mixing begins. Butter is added last.
- Start the dough cycle.
- Check mixing after 3-5 minutes. Use the small silicone spatula to help ingredients stuck to the sides. The dough will be VERY sticky and wet. (See photos above). There will be a small "puddle" at the bottom of the machine where the paddle turns. This is normal for this type of enriched dough. It will change as the cycle continues and during the overnight chilling.
- Set a timer for remainder of cycle so the dough does not over proof.
- Remove the dough from the machine and place on a lightly floured work surface. Gently knock out the air pockets by kneading a few times. Roughly shape into a ball and place into a large greased bowl and lightly grease the surface of the dough ball to prevent a crust from forming. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for no more than 16 hours. I generally take it out to make the buns at around 12-14 hours.
Sticky Buns:
- The next morning, prepare your melted butter. Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 T. cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg for the filling. Set the filling and melted butter set aside. Grease the baking pan.
- To prepare the glaze: Heat the butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium to medium-low until melted. Make sure to stir constantly, it will bubble up for about 20-30 seconds, turn off the heat and keep stirring until it settles down. It should look a little glossy.
- Place your round baking pan on the cookie sheet and pour the glaze into the bottom. Top off with the chopped pecans. Set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F, making sure that the rack is in the middle.
- Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin. Remove the dough from the fridge and press out the air bubbles. Lightly shape into a rectangle with your hands and roll into a 12 x 18" rectangle. It will be fairly thin.
- Pour on your melted & cooled butter, spread on from edge to edge with a pastry brush. Sprinkle on the sugar & spice filling, leaving a 1" gap at the top (long end). Roll it upwards from the long side, like a jelly roll. Seal edge and cut into 8 equal pieces.
- Place buns into the prepared & glazed baking pan, cut side down. Leave a little room in between for the final rise.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 F, making sure that the rack is in the middle. Set the buns in a warm, draft free area and cover with a lint free cloth for about 20 minutes. This will vary on the temperature of your kitchen. You don't want them to double in size, just about 50%, they will continue to puff up in the oven.
- When they are ready to bake, place the pan on the tray into the oven on the middle rack. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the internal temperature is 190 – 200F (about 1/2 way through, cover loosely with foil. to prevent burning).
- When cooked, place your platter over the top of the pan and carefully turn it over. The sticky buns should be sitting on the platter with the glaze & pecans on top.
- Serve hot. Enjoy.
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