We make pecan rolls for almost every holiday in our household. Year after year, we gravitate towards making these just like our mom and grandma did. There is just nothing better than a sticky pecan rolls warm out of the oven. The dough is soft and fluffy while the topping is sticky and sweet. We pack these milk bread pecan rolls full of cinnamon, butter, and a little bit of sugar for the perfect bite every time.
Although we have been making pecan rolls for years, we slightly adjusted our family recipe to make the fluffiest rolls that stay fluffy after they cool. We make the dough in the same style that Japanese milk bread is made. By adding a paste of flour and water called a tangzhong, the dough stays fluffy and soft. It is seriously a game changer and our new favorite way to make them. We use this same method in our milk bread cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.
Milk Bread Pecan Rolls – Ingredient Notes:
Tangzhong:
The Tangzhong method, a Japanese technique, involves creating a roux-like mixture by cooking flour and water together. This creates a paste that enhances the dough’s moisture, tenderness, and shelf life.
Milk Bread Dough Ingredients:
- Milk Powder: Adds richness and contributes to the dough’s softness. Don’t leave this out!
- Yeast: Essential for leavening; activates with warmth and sugar.
- Butter: Provides flavor and helps in creating a tender texture.
- Bread Flour: Higher protein content results in a better structure for bread and rolls. Substituting all-purpose flour will not provide quite the same result.
- Sugar: Sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
Filling and Toppings:
- Cinnamon and Sugar Filling: Infuses each bite with warm, comforting flavors.
- Pecans: Adds crunch, richness, and a nutty essence to the rolls.
- Brown Sugar, Butter, and Karo Syrup: Contribute to the sticky, gooey pecan topping.
Tips for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls:
Dough Preparation:
- Tangzhong Consistency: Ensure the Tangzhong mixture thickens properly to provide the intended texture to the dough.
- Dough Handling: Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic to ensure a good rise. We prefer to do this in a kitchenaid to save us an arm workout 🙂
- Proofing Time: Allow sufficient time for proofing to double the dough size for light and airy rolls.
Sticky Pecan Topping:
- Even Pecan Distribution: Arrange pecans evenly in the pan for consistent topping coverage.
- Proper Heating: Carefully cook the topping ingredients until they bubble, ensuring a luscious caramelization.
Shaping and Baking:
- Uniform Sizing: Cut and shape the rolls evenly to ensure consistent baking.
- Baking Time: Monitor the rolls as oven temperatures vary; they should be golden and baked through.
Milk Bread Pecan Rolls FAQ:
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?
All-purpose and bread flour have a different % of protein. To give the rolls the structure that they need, we recommend only using bread flour in this recipe.
Can I Freeze These Cinnamon Rolls?
Absolutely! Freeze them after baking (without frosting) for up to a month. Thaw and reheat before serving. (This is what we do every Christmas morning!!)
Can I Omit Pecans or Substitute Them?
Yes! We also have a version without them here: milk bread cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.
Milk Bread Pecan Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 200 g water
- 40 g bread flour
Dough
- 1 cup milk 240 ml
- 4 tablespoons milk powder 24 g
- 2 packs yeast 14 g
- 700 g bread flour ~5 cups
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 stick softened butter 113 g
Filling
- 1 stick butter softened 113 g
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200 g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
Sticky pecan topping
- 1 stick salted butter 113 g
- 1 cup brown sugar 200 g
- 1/4 cup karo syrup 60 ml
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt if using morton use 1/4 teaspoon
- 3 cups pecan roughly chopped
Instructions
Tangzhong:
- Add the flour and water into a medium saute pan over medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Continue to stir with a spatula until it forms a thick paste (about 5 minutes)
- Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours (up to overnight). An hour before use, take the paste out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature
Milk Bread Dough
Blooming the yeast:
- To bloom the yeast, add together warm milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the yeast into a small bowl. The milk should be about 105 degrees fahrenheit. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it is slightly sweet smelling a bubbly.
Making the dough
- In the base of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the bread flour, milk powder, salt, and remaining sugar. Run the mixer on low and add in the bloomed yeast, egg, and tangzhong. Mix for about 2-3 minutes on low until the dough begins to form.
- After 2-3 minutes add in the softened butter and continue to mix on low for about 1 minute. After the butter is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium high and mix for 8 minutes. At this point the dough should form a ball that is not too sticky, if it is not forming a ball, add in a few more tablespoons of bread flour.
- Once the dough is smooth and formed into a ball, place it into a greased mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and proof it for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size (the time this takes will depend on the temperature of where you are letting the dough proof)
Prepare the pan and make the pecan topping:
- Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper and grease the pan with butter. Place the pecans in an even layer on the parchment paper until they evenly cover teh pan. Set aside
- In a medium saucepan, heat together sea salt, vanilla bean, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Stir the mixture constantly until it begins to just bubble. After it bubbles, pour the mixture over the pecans into the prepared pan before adding the cinnamon rolls. Set aside while shaping the rolls
Shaping:
- After the dough has doubled in size. Flour the counter or a large surface and roll it into a rectangle (about ¼ inch thick)
- Make the filling by mixing softened butter, cinnamon, and sugar. After the filling is mixed, spread it over the dough leaving a ½ border along the edges
- After adding the filling, roll the dog into a log rolling the longer side inwards until a tight log forms.
- Once the roll is formed used unflavored floss or a knife to but the dough into 12 pieces.
- Place each roll into a greased 9×13 inch pan.
- Cover the pan with a towel and let them proof for about 45 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size.
- Note: Unlike the pictures, we prefer to make 2 trays of 6 (vs placing all 12 into one pan so they cook more evenly), but they can be made with all 12 in 1 they will bake up higher and need to cook for slightly longer.
Baking:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F
- After they have proofed, bake the cinnamon rolls for about 35 minutes or until they are golden on the edges but baked in the center (if all 12 are in the pan they will need to cook for slightly longer if just 6 are in the pan) Cool for 10 minutes before frosting
When you put only 6 rolls in a pan vs 12, do you still use a 13×9 or a smaller pan?