Easy Sticky Buns Recipe (5 ingredients) - Crazy for Crust (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a cinnamon roll and a sticky bun? ›

Cinnamon rolls are celebrated for their soft, spiraled dough and sweet icing, making them a comforting, straightforward treat. Sticky buns, by contrast, offer a more decadent experience with their caramelized topping and nutty texture, making each bite a complex blend of flavors and consistency.

Structurally, cinnamon buns share the same spiral shape. They are sometimes thinner and more delicate. The most significant difference between cinnamon rolls and cinnamon buns is the inclusion of nuts. Cinnamon buns often have pecans, walnuts, or even raisins in the filling.

Sticky buns are a type of dessert or breakfast sweet roll that generally consist of rolled pieces of leavened dough — sometimes containing brown sugar or cinnamon — compressed together to form a kind of flat loaf corresponding to the size of the pan in which they are to be baked.

(If you're new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough.

Don't Overmix the Dough

When making cinnamon rolls, mix the dough just until the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is smooth and soft. Overmixed dough leads to tough cinnamon rolls. The dough is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and feels tacky but doesn't stick to your fingers.

Instead of having the glaze poured over the top after cooking (which is how it goes down with most sticky bun recipes), honey buns are cooked upside down in a baking pan that's been lined with the sticky, hearty honey and pecan topping ahead of cooking; much like the cinnamon bun method.

Sticky buns start with a caramel glaze poured into a baking dish. Then, the buns are placed on top, and, after baking, you invert the pan onto a plate, so the glaze is on top. Morning buns have a different type of dough — more like a croissant, but a little chewier.

I bake until just browning, then take two thin knives and very gently pull two rolls apart (not fully separating them, just enough to peek) that are in the middle of the pan. If it's still gooey, I pop them back in. If it has a crumb, I take them out!

How long are homemade sticky buns good for? ›

Wait at least 20 minutes before serving. The sticky buns are best eaten the day of baking but can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days (see notes below on reheating).

If you do not eat the whole dozen when delivered, the buns can be frozen as packaged or wrapped individually in wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil. If you wish to nibble for a day or two, keep the buns covered or wrapped and store at room temperature. Do not refrigerate, this will dry out the product.

Cinnabon's Secret Ingredient

This special Indonesian cinnamon, called Makara, is trademarked by Cinnabon. And because of that trademark, you won't find this product in your local grocery store spice aisle.

The dough should be tacky to the touch, but not so sticky that it's very messy. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl easily and the bowl should appear fairly clean. If the dough appears too sticky, continue kneading and add flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough reaches that tacky texture.

The process of making sticky buns begins with a caramel glaze, which gives the buns their name. The glaze is poured into the baking dish first, followed by toasted pecans. The buns are placed atop the sticky mixture, and after baking, the pan is inverted so that the glaze is on top.

Sticky buns begin with a base of tender, yeasted dough, much like a cinnamon roll. However, what truly distinguishes them is their sticky caramel topping. The pan used to bake sticky buns is coated with a rich, gooey caramel sauce.

Rolls are typically proofed and baked closer together for a softer, “pull apart” result. This makes them great for dipping or eating alongside other food. On the other hand, buns are proofed with space between them, which makes them crustier.