Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Buns

5 from 1 vote

The most amazing Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Sticky Buns made with chopped toasted pecans, drenched in a rich buttery caramel praline sauce, and a flair of pumpkin flavor!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Rise Time:1 20

Total Time2 25

Course: Brunch, Dessert

Keyword: baked, bread, brioche, brunch, caramel, cinnamon, cinnamon rolls, dairy-free, dessert, easy, fall recipe, fluffy, gluten-free, healthy, homemade, indulge, natural, pecans, plant-based, praline, recipe, soft, southern, sweet, traditional, vegan

Servings: Servings

Calories: 615kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

DOUGH:

4 cups organic all-purpose flour
2 cups organic Artisan Bread flour (See Notes!)
1 cup organic 100% pumpkin puree (NOT pie filling!)
1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
¼ cup WARM water
½ cup organic brown sugar + 1 Tbsp
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Almond milk, at room temp. (You can use your fave plant-based milk)
¼ cup WARM melted vegan butter

FILLING:

½ cup organic brown sugar
½ cup vegan butter, softened at room temp.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

PRALINE TOPPING:

1 cup organic brown sugar
¾ cup full-fat coconut cream/milk (See Notes!)
4 Tbsps vegan butter
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (See Notes!)
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

FOR THE DOUGH:

Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly pour in warm water while stirring frequently. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate.
Add in the room temperature milk and warm butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the pumpkin puree and vanilla, whisking to incorporate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt and add them to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
Change “Mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed together with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.
In the meantime, you can work on the filling!

FOR THE FILLING:

Add the softened the butter (best if done at room temp. so that it's more "paste-like" in texture once smeared) in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon and brown sugar, mixing them together. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE PRALINE TOPPING:

In a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high heat, heat the brown sugar and stir constantly using a rubber spatula until clumps are formed. Add the butter and continue to stir until everything has melted and become a dark 'amber-like' color. Continue to stir consistently until fully melted and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes.
Now, slowly whisk in the coconut cream/milk and continue to whisk until combined and the sauce has fully thickened. Add the cinnamon and salt, continue to stir. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using.

ASSEMBLY + BAKE:

Once the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang from the sides.
Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape (approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
Then, generously add ¾ of the softened butter atop dough (spreading it out evenly with a spoon or knife), followed by the brown sugar-spice mixture, ensuring that the top is coated evenly. NOTE: I also use a 'pastry brush' to sweep sugar mixture evenly across the dough to ensure that every bite is sweet!
Once the praline sauce topping has cooled, pour it into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5" rolls, placing each roll (cut side down) atop the praline sauce in the baking dish. Repeat until all rolls are set.
Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls, smear the tops with remaining softened butter and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).
Once the rolls have doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, bake them for approximately 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden brown, ensuring that the middles are baked through.
Remove the rolls from oven and wait 10-15 minutes or until it cools enough to be removed from dish.
To serve, cut out each roll desired and enjoy.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

TO STORE: Leftovers can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
RAPID (INSTANT) RISE YEAST VS. ACTIVE DRY YEAST: If you’re not using the Rapid Rise Yeast for this recipe, please know that the rise time will be twice as long (about 3 hours) since regular Active Yeast doesn’t work as quickly.
FLOUR: If you don’t have bread flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead.
OVERNIGHT OPTION: If you don’t want to make your rolls on the same day, you can simply follow all steps (including the initial 1+ hour rise) and after cutting rolls and placing them into your baking pan, just cover them tightly (using foil paper of plastic wrap) and refrigerate them overnight or for 8-12 hours instead. The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 ½ hours.
TOASTED PECANS: Add chopped pecans to a baking sheet and toasting them in the oven (400 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10-15 minutes, tossing them halfway to avoid browning on one side.
COCONUT CREAM: I love using canned coconut cream from Thai Kitchen, however, you can always use canned coconut milk as well and refrigerate it overnight to thicken and create more creaminess.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: If you're looking to make these GF, I recommend substituting both flours with Bob's 1:1 Baking flour and slightly reducing the amount by 1 cup, slowing adding more if the dough is too sticky.

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