Substitute maple sugar for the light brown sugar, and substitute walnuts for the pecans.Your kitchen will smell like Christmas while this celebratory classic breakfast bakes.
Yield: 24 buns
Active time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 31/2 hours
Dough:
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup tapioca flour
33/4 cups cornstarch
2 tablespoons xanthan gum
2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm whole milk (110–115°F)
1 cup honey
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Glaze and Filling:
4 cups chopped pecans, divided
3/4 cup (11/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, divided
21/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger Vegetable oil spray
1. Combine brown rice flour, tapioca flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk well.
2. Combine milk, honey, eggs, butter, and vanilla in the mixing bowl of a standard mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce the speed to low, and add flour mixture. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes.
3. Cover the bowl loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap, and place it in a warm spot for 1–2 hours, or until dough is doubled in bulk.
4. While dough rises, make glaze and filling. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast pecans on a baking sheet for 5–7 minutes, or until browned.
5. Combine 9 tablespoons butter, 11/2 cups sugar, corn syrup, and cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with vegetable oil spray. Divide glaze into the bottoms of the pans, and tilt to spread glaze evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of chopped pecans over glaze in each pan.
6. For filling, combine remaining pecans, remaining butter, remaining sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a mixing bowl.
7. Spray your hands with vegetable oil spray. Divide dough into 3 parts. Sprinkle a counter and rolling pin heavily with brown rice flour. Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 10 x 15 inches; this is the size of an average cookie sheet. Sprinkle rectangle with 1/3 of the filling, and roll it beginning with the long side. Cut log into 8 pieces, and space them evenly on top of the glaze. Flatten them lightly until they barely touch each other. Repeat with the remaining dough portions and filling.
8. Cover pans lightly with a tea towel, and allow them to rise for 1 hour, or until very puffy.
9. While buns rise, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake buns for 30–35 minutes, or until brown. Remove the pans from the oven, and invert buns onto a platter. Scrape any glaze remaining in the pan on top of the buns, and serve warm.
Note: While best right out of the oven, the buns can be baked up to 2 days in advance and kept at room temperature, tightly covered. Reheat them, covered with foil, in a 300°F oven for 8–10 minutes.
Variation
Substitute maple sugar for the light brown sugar, and substitute walnuts for the pecans.