Vegan Cinnamon & Pecan Sticky Buns

Nothing says the weekend quite like preparing a batch of pillowy-soft brioche dough, rolling it up with the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar, and then snuggling the rolls close to each other on a bed of what will eventually become the most luxurious, sticky pecan caramel sauce!!

For vegan brioche dough:

• 2 tsp (7 g, one sachet) active dried yeast
• 60g caster sugar
• 210ml warm non-dairy milk, like almond, soy, rice or oat milk (you can use up to 240ml of non-dairy milk, which will give even fluffier buns, but the dough will be softer and more difficult to handle)
• 170g coconut cream
• 30ml melted coconut oil
• 550g plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt

For cinnamon and maple syrup caramel filling:

• 300g light brown sugar
• 125g coconut cream, melted
• 80ml maple syrup
• 2 - 3 tsp cinnamon
• 125g pecans, a mix of whole and roughly chopped

Method

For vegan brioche dough:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the active dried yeast, 10g of sugar and 90 ml of warm non-dairy milk. Set aside for 10 minutes, for the yeast to start frothing and bubbling.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook, combine the yeast mixture, the rest of the non-dairy milk, coconut cream, coconut oil, flour, the rest of the sugar and salt.
3. Knead on medium-low speed for about 10 minutes until you get a smooth, elastic dough.
4. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave to proof in a warm place for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until approximately doubled in size.

For the cinnamon and maple syrup caramel filling:

1. Mix together all filling ingredients, except the pecans. Chill it in the fridge until slightly thickened.
2. Pour half of the filling into the baking tray and spread it out into an even layer with a spatula.
3. Scatter the pecans on top, and set aside until needed.

Assembling the vegan sticky buns:

1. Once proofed, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into an approximately 14 x 22 inch rectangle.
2. Spread the rest of the filling on top of the rolled-out dough in an even layer, from edge to edge.
3. Roll up the dough so that you get a 22 inch long log.
4. Use a long piece of thread to cut the log into 12 approximately equal pieces (see text for photo). Transfer them into the baking tray, placing them on top of the caramel filling layer.
5. Lightly cover the buns with cling film/plastic wrap and proof in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
6. While the buns are proofing, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF/180 ºC.
7. Bake the proofed buns at 355 ºF/180 ºC for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown on top, the filling is bubbling and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, with no unbaked, raw dough attached.
8. Immediately out of the oven, turn the sticky buns out of the baking tin onto the serving platter (otherwise the caramel will cool, which can cause the buns to stick).
9. The buns are best served still warm, and they're at their most delicious on the day they're baked. If you want to eat them the next day, re-heat them in the microwave for 15 - 20 seconds, which will return them to their original fluffy softness.