cinnamon pecan rolls

Dough:
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup water
¾ cup milk
1 tbs active dry yeast
¼ cup butter, melted
large egg, lightly beaten
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt

In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm place for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve yeast, then add butter and egg and stir.

Into a large bowl, sift flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and mix until a soft dough forms (add more flour if needed). Turn dough out onto a floured surface; knead 5 to 10 minutes until elastic and smooth. Place in a lightly buttered large bowl, turning dough over once to butter surface. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 ½ hours, until doubled in size. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 12 by 17-inch rectangle.

Cinnamon Filling:
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup chopped pecans

Spread butter over entire surface of rolled out dough. Combine brown sugar and spices in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over buttered dough. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle. Using a sharp knife or a length of floss, cut roll into slices 1 ½-inches thick. Arrange in a lightly buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish, with the rolls just touching. Cover with tea towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Topping:
3 tbs butter, softened
3 plus 1 tbs brown sugar, packed
¼ cup chopped pecans

Cream together butter and 3 tbs brown sugar. Brush over tops of risen rolls. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and pecans. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until golden.


Note: the dough for this recipe turns out very well in a bread maker. Place sugar, water, milk, butter, egg and salt in bowl of machine, followed by flour and yeast. Set machine on dough setting, then follow the rest of the recipe as written for the filling and baking.