baklava sticky buns

Baklava Sticky Buns

I’m a big fan of fun food mashups. These Baklava sticky buns combine two of my favorite desserts: you guessed it, baklava and sticky buns! For this sweet treat, sweet bread dough in rolled with sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of cloves, then topped with honey, sugar, and mixed chopped nuts.

Sticky buns are such a fun treat. There’s something so sweetly nostalgic about ooey-gooey pull-apart bread. In the South, we’d always enjoy sticky buns topped with loads of brown sugar, corn syrup, and pecans. This version is a fun twist on the classic; here we swap honey for corn syrup, and mixed nuts such as pecans, almonds, and pistachios rather than simply pecans.

chopped nuts

For this recipe, you can use any combination of your favorite nuts. I use equal parts pistachio, almonds, and pecans because they’re personal favorites of mine. But you can definitely experiment with cashews, walnuts, peanuts, and more!

risen dough

To make these buns, the first step is to prep your bread dough base. You’ll make a simple, sweet dough flavored with a hint of cinnamon. Next, let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. It’s always a good idea to let your dough rise in a nice warm spot; I usually will place the bowl of dough on top of the dryer while drying a load of laundry!

After the first rise, roll the dough out into a large rectangle, sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough, and cut the dough into 12 even rolls. Place rolls evenly over the baklava topping, and let rise again until doubled in size.

risen baklava sticky buns

After the second rise, you’re ready to bake! The ooey gooey topping gets toasty and delicious, and the bread stays oh so fluffy. This treat will please baklava and sticky buns alike!

Can’t get enough sweet rolls? Try these Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Rolls with Vanilla Bean Icing! Nutty for pecans? You’ll love this Pumpkin Pecan Pound Cake. Are peanuts more your thing? Check out these Best Ever Peanut Butter Cookies — and no, that’s not an exaggeration!

baklava sticky buns
baklava sticky buns
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Baklava Sticky Buns

Sweet buns topped with a baklava inspired topping.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword baklava, honey, sticky buns
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rising time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

Dough

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 packages of active dry yeast 2 ounces each
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 1/3 cup butter melted

Sticky topping

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup almonds chopped
  • 1/3 cup pistachios chopped
  • 1/3 cup pecans chopped

Filling

  • 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons flour

Instructions

  • In the microwave, heat milk until it is warm, but not hot, to the touch (about 110-115° F). Add yeast to the warm milk and let sit until bubbly and frothy, about 10 minutes.
  • In a mixer with the dough hook attached, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, and melted butter, and whisk slightly to combine. Add milk and yeast mixture and about 1 cup flour.
  • Mix on low, adding flour, about one cup at a time, until dough comes together and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl.
  • Knead on medium speed for 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth.
  • Lightly grease a large bowl with baking spray, butter, or vegetable oil. Place dough in the bowl, flipping to cover it with the oil. Place plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel over the bowl. Let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size. Meanwhile, prepare two 9 inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray, and evenly spreading 1/4 cup honey into each pan. Sprinkle nuts, and then sugar evenly into the pans.
  • To make the filling, whisk together white sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and flour.
  • Punch down the risen dough, and roll it out into a 10"x18" rectangle on a clean surface.
  • Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough.
  • Roll the dough up longwise. Trim the ends, then cut the dough into 12 even rolls.
  • Place 6 rolls in each cake pan. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 350F about 20-30 minutes before rolls are ready to bake.
  • Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.
  • Let cool at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove buns from pan. Warning, the honey will be very hot! Use a knife to loosen the buns from the pan. Flip the buns onto a plate.
  • Serve at room temperature or warmed up.

Share this

7 Comments

    • I haven’t tried doing this but it should work! After you assemble the rolls, put them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, bring them out and let them sit for at least 30 minutes to get up to room temp and rise until doubled in size, if they didn’t rise all the way in the fridge overnight. Then bake them as instructed!

Leave a Reply