Sticky Buns with Puff Pastry

These easy sticky buns made with puff pastry sheets are one of my favorite puff pastry recipes for Christmas morning breakfast.

This recipe is so much quicker than traditional sticky buns because there is no dough to rise. You can make them ahead of time and bake off in the morning, making them especially great for holiday entertaining.

This post is sponsored by Wewalka Puff Pastry, all opinions are my own. UPDATE: Wewalka has now rebranded itself to Jus-Rol puff pastry in the U.S.A. 

Sticky Buns Made with Puff Pastry Are Lighter

• The puff pastry sheets make these sticky buns light and flakey and will avoid the heaviness that can come with a traditional sticky bun recipe. 
• They are also smaller, since the puff pastry dough is thinner than regular yeast-dough of traditional buns.
• Their smaller size makes them great for a Christmas breakfast buffet when guests may just want a taste and not fill up too fast knowing what’s ahead on Christmas day!
• Pair this recipe with my Mini Ham & Cheese Croissants and my French Apple Pastries for a trio of puff pastry brunch treats!

3 Brunch pastries for Christmas Morning

 

Step#1: Make the Sticky Buns Filling

• The filling is a simple mixture of white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest.
• The orange zest cuts the sweetness of the sticky buns while bringing a wonderful freshness too. 

Step#2: Add Melted Butter to Puff Pastry Sheet

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and then transfer it to a heat-safe pitcher. 
• Then place the pitcher in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to cool down.
• You want to make sure the butter has cooled before spreading it on top of the puff pastry, otherwise, it will melt the pastry and be harder to roll up in the next stage. 

Step#3: Add Filling, Pecans, and Raisins

• Once the butter is cooled, you can spread it over the pastry with a spoon.
• Make sure the entire surface area is covered with the butter, this will help create the sticky sauce in the interior of the bun as it bakes. 
• Next, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the pastry, spreading it with your fingertips to cover the entire surface area.
• Then you can add the pecans and the raisins. I like a “loaded” sticky bun because I think the chewy and crunchy texture the raisins and nuts provide makes them more interesting. 

Sprinkle the nuts and raisins all over the top of the pastry sheet, making sure to cover all areas. You could also use walnuts in place of pecans.

Step#4: Roll Sticky Buns

• Then starting from the short end of the pastry sheet, tightly roll up the pastry into a tight log, peeling back the parchment paper as you go. 
• Then stop once you get to the end and your log is seam side down. 

Step#5: Slice and Bake Sticky Buns

• At this stage, you can either cut the log in half and then in thirds to create 6 large sticky buns.
• These do best when baked in a jumbo muffin tin.
• Or you can cut the log in half and then into fourths to create 8 slices which work well for mini sticky buns. These do best in a standard size muffin tin. 

Just be sure your muffin tin is well greased with baking spray before placing them in the tins, this will help then buns release a lot easier after they are baked.

TIP: Once they sticky buns are baked don’t let them sit in the muffin tins too long or they will be harder to release as the sticky sauce sets. 

How to Make Sticky Sauce For Sticky Buns

• Since this recipe for sticky buns is quick and easy, I use the extra time I’ve saved to create a little extra sticky sauce to spoon over the buns once they are baked.
• The sticky sauce adds a wonderful shine to these buns and just makes them feel extra special for an occasion like Christmas morning.

To make the sauce melt the butter with white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon until caramelized and bubbly.

Once the mixture begins to thicken, add the orange juice. This will add a wonderful freshness to the sauce, and at the same time, it will thin it out to a consistency that’s perfect for drizzling. 

The sticky sauce can also be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave when ready to serve. 

This is a wonderful Christmas morning breakfast idea that your guests will go nuts for! Serve these sticky buns at a brunch along with some mini ham and cheese croissants or some French Apple Pastries. 

If you enjoyed this recipe

please leave a rating below.