This recipe for Classic Sticky Buns is the perfect recipe – soft, gooey, and truly addictive!
Homemade Sticky Buns
Who doesn’t love a warm, gooey Sticky Bun?
I mean why have basic cinnamon bun when you can have a caramel glazed sticky bun? There’s just no comparison and making it homemade – there’s just nothing better!
Why This Recipe Works
- Adding the cream to the topping keeps the sauce from hardening.
- Using brown sugar instead of white keeps the sauce from being too sweet and creates a lovely caramel flavor.
I adore a sticky bun! Just writing this post and looking at the photos makes me want to run to my kitchen and start another batch!
I make these for my son whenever I want to spoil him with an extra special breakfast! There’s nothing better than an ooey-gooey warm sticky bun!
What is the difference between sticky buns and cinnamon rolls?
A sticky bun is actually a cinnamon bun that’s baked with a caramel type sauce in the pan so when you flip the pan over you get buns covered in a layer of sweet, indulgent sauce.
How do you make sticky buns from scratch?
- Prepare a yeast dough and allow to rise until double in size.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle, brush with butter, and cover with cinnamon and sugar.
- Roll and cut into buns.
- Make the sticky bun sauce and add to a pan. Place the buns in the sauce and allow to rise a second time.
- Bake and turn out onto a tray and serve sticky side up.
Overnight Sticky Buns
If you want to serve your sticky buns in the morning, you can prepare them the day before.
Just prepare the buns to the point of cutting the dough and putting them in the pan. Then cover them and place them in the fridge overnight.
The next morning you can take the buns from the fridge and place in a cold oven. Set the oven temperature and bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
By the time the oven gets to baking temperature, the buns will have risen the right amount.
Tips For Perfect Sticky Buns
- Adding the cream to the topping keeps the sauce from hardening and allows you to have a couple the next day.
- When making any kind of yeast dough, be sure the water you use is warm. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast – too cold and the yeast won’t activate. To test, run the water over a finger – if it feels nice and warm – it’s usually good.
- Use Room-Temperature Ingredients. Yeast warm environments, so using eggs and butter at room temperature will keep the dough at the optimal temperature for yeast to thrive.
- Don’t overwork the dough. You’ll know the dough is properly mixed it’s pulling away from the sides of the bowl and its tacky, but not sticky.
- Use a clean, oiled bowl for rising. Oiling the bowl makes it easier to remove after rising and also allows the dough to rise higher as it won’t be sticking to the sides.
More Great Buns & Rolls
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Let’s Make Classic Sticky Buns
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1¼ cups hot milk about 110F/ 43C
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 packet instant dry yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose/plain flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 4 tablespoons melted butter plus more for pan
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the topping:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup golden syrup or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.
- In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg.
- Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.
- Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 2 – 3 hours.
- To prepare the topping, add the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and the mixture is bubbling.
- Remove from heat, add the cream, mix well to combine. Pour into a greased 9-x-13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a small bowl prepare the filling by mixing together the butter, sugar brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread the filling over the rolled dough and then beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up the dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 10 – 12 slices.
- Place the sliced buns into the pan with the sauce (about 2 inches apart) and let rise until they have doubled (about 45 minutes to an hour).
- Pre-heat oven to 350f/175c
- Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully flipping onto a serving tray and serve warm, sticky-side-up.
Sadie says
The metric measure of 875 g flour seems to be incorrect. According to King Arthur Flour and several other websites, 1 cup of all-purpose flour weighs 120 g, therefore 3 – 4 cups of flour would weigh 360 g – 480 g, not 875 g.
Erren Hart says
Hi Sadie, it looks like the 3-4 in the measurements instead of an exact number threw off the conversion. Thanks so much for letting me know. I have adjusted the recipe card.