Peanut Butter Sticky Buns (Small Batch)
Grab yourself a glass of milk because you’re going to need it. These peanut butter sticky buns are completely decadent! This recipe is the result of an evolution of one of my favorite flavor combinations – peanut butter on pancakes. I’ve been eating my pancakes (and waffles and french toast) with peanut butter for as long as I can remember.
When I made these sticky buns a while back, they were delicious, but it felt like something was missing. I pondered it for a while. And then it hit me. I was missing the peanut butter flavor I was accustomed to when eating maple syrup (used in the base of the caramel). So then the idea for peanut butter sticky buns was born. My first iteration of this recipe was a full batch recipe that, while delicious, needed a little tweaking (a little too much peanut butter and too much of the caramel sauce in general).
In between that first iteration and now, you all gave great feedback in response to my small batch cinnamon chip scone recipe that you’d love to see more small batch recipes, especially small batch recipes for breads/rolls. Given how rich these are, they are the perfect candidates for a small batch recipe so my second iteration is just that – a smaller batch with an improved caramel. Just right. So let’s talk about it…
For the enriched dough:
- My enriched dough is based off this Hokkaido Milk Bread. I’ve begun using milk bread as a base for many recipes for a few different reasons. It’s always soft, never dry and full of flavor. The extra step of creating the tangzhong is worth the impact to the dough and the resulting crumb and bread texture. I talk more about this dough in my Apple Cinnamon Hot Cross Milk bread post.
- Of course, any enriched dough will work for this recipe. If you’re looking for a different option, try this one by Thida Bevington.
- While I do use instant yeast in this dough, there are still two proofs to this recipe. I’ve made the dough the day before and shaped the rolls to go through their second proof overnight with perfectly fine results. It’s something to keep in mind if you don’t have the time available to make these all in one day.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can still make this dough by hand. You will likely need to increase the amount of minutes you knead to get to the right elasticity.
For the peanut butter caramel sauce:
- The peanut butter caramel sauce is the star of this show. It’s honestly so good that if you don’t at least taste it once while it’s still in the saucepan, I’m not sure I can trust you. I knew I wanted to add maple syrup to this particular recipe, and it compliments the brown sugar and peanut butter so well.
- In order to enhance the peanut butter flavor, you’ll see I use almond extract. Almond extract helps to bring out the flavor of peanut butter. While it will still be tasty if you don’t use it, I highly recommend you do as it really does add another level of flavor.
- Finally, I’ve only used standard peanut butter in this recipe so far (Jiffy). I imagine natural peanut butters would work, but I cannot vouch for using them as I haven’t myself yet.
For the assembly of the peanut butter sticky buns:
- In all my photos, you’ll notice I made mini sticky buns. This was intentional as I find this recipe to be quite rich so I like the smaller portions (also helpful if you have littles who are itching to try one!). With the quantity listed in this recipe, I was able to make about 15 mini rolls. You most certainly can make traditional size rolls. I estimate you can get between 6-8 with this quantity.
- This small batch is perfect for a loaf pan. You can also scale this recipe up quite easily. For a full size batch, simply double everything in the recipe. The steps remain the same.
- Lastly, this is recipe that’s best fresh out of the oven! They are fine to sit a few hours, but they will lose a bit of their “ooey-gooey” texture as the peanut butter firms up. Still chewy and delicious, but best hot.
Equipment List:
- Saucepan (We have this brand and love it.)
- Loaf Pan
- Mini whisk (This is useful for so many things!)
- Parchment paper (This is the one I’ve been using lately, plus brown parchment paper has that extra touch of nostalgia I just love.)
- Rolling Pin
Peanut Butter Sticky Buns (Small Batch)
These small batch peanut butter sticky buns were inspired by my love for peanut butter on pancakes and the delicious combination of peanut butter and maple syrup. Filled with cinnamon sugar and topped with a rich peanut butter caramel sauce and pecans, grab a glass of milk because these are oh so decadent.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the enriched dough:
- 1 1/4 cups bread flour + 1 tbsp
- 3 tbsp water
- 3/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp softened unsalted butter
For the peanut butter caramel sauce:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/8 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp almond extract
- 1 dash salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
For the enriched dough:
- 1) Add 1 tbsp of bread flour and 3 tbsp of water to a small saucepan. Over medium-low heat, whisk continuously just until the mixture begins to thicken (you'll know it's close when you start to see streaks in the mixture). Immediately take off the stove and let cool. This should take a minute or less. 2) In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add 1 cup bread flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. Pulse the mixer a few times to mix the dry ingredients. 3) In a small bowl, whisk the egg and then pour half of the egg into the saucepan with your flour paste. The add the heavy cream and whisk them all together until combined. (You can use the remaining egg for an egg wash.)4) In the stand mixer, form a small well and pour in the wet mixture. Mix on low just until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball. Switch the mixer to medium speed and continue kneading for 4-5 minutes until the dough forms a semi-smooth ball. (Don't worry if your dough is quite shaggy and doesn't seem like it's coming together. The longer you mix it, it will. Because this is a small batch, you may have to pause your mixer and bring the dough together by hand a few times and then return to the mixer to continue kneading. If you're at all concerned, you can switch over to kneading by hand.) If your dough seems too sticky, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup bread flour. 5) After your dough has formed a semi-smooth ball, add 1/2 tbsp of the softened butter and continue mixing until well incorporated. The dough will seem quite messy at first. Just keep mixing. Once the butter is incorporated, then add the second 1/2 tbsp of butter and continue kneading for 4-5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. 6) Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and let proof for at least 1 hour. (If making the dough the night before, now is the time to place in the refrigerator and let proof overnight. Alternatively, you can also continue until the rolls are assembled and then proof overnight.)
For the peanut butter caramel sauce:
- 1) Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray and lining with parchment paper. Sprinkle the 1/2 cup pecans into the bottom of the loaf pan.2) When your dough is nearing the end of its first proof, begin making the peanut butter caramel sauce by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the peanut butter, brown sugar and maple syrup and whisk to incorporate. 3) Continue whisking and cooking for 3-4 minutes or until the brown sugar is semi-dissolved and the mixture has become slightly "frothy" on top. Remove from the heat. Add the whipping cream, vanilla extract, almond extract and dash of salt and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared loaf pan lined over the pecans. Set aside.
For the cinnamon sugar filling:
- 1) Melt the butter and add the sugar and cinnamon. Mix together and set aside. You want the consistency to be semi-spreadable. Alternatively, you can use 1/4 softened butter and spread onto the dough, followed by sprinkling with the cinnamon sugar.
Assembly:
- 1) Punch down your dough. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle approximately 16-18" long and 4-6" wide. (In the photos above, I chose to make mini sticky buns. If you prefer to make miniature buns versus full-sized, roll the dough longer and less wide.)2) Spread the dough with your cinnamon sugar mixture.3) Roll up the dough length-wise. Cut into 8 rolls (or 15-16 mini rolls). Place rolls on top of the peanut butter caramel sauce in the prepared loaf pan. Let proof again until nearly double in size (1-2 hours).4) As the rolls near the end of their proof, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are golden brown.5) Let the rolls cool for 5-10 minutes then turn out the rolls onto a baking sheet or dish. At this point, there is likely a bit of sauce left in the loaf pan. Using a spoon, scrape this out and spread back onto the rolls. Enjoy!
