Before I tell you about these amazing sticky buns, I have to throw in a quick little celebratory “GO HAWKS!” We’re Super Bowl bound!! So. Pumped.
You know what else I’m pumped about? THESE STICKY BUNS. 
When it comes to sweet rolls, I’m a novice. I’ve only made cinnamon rolls once (actually, a friend made them, I helped), and this was my first time with sticky buns. It’s not that I’m afraid of yeast—I make my own pizza dough all the time. But for some reason, I’ve just never cared about cinnamon rolls or sticky buns. As much as I love baked goods, these have never been my go-to.
But that’s all changing now. These whole wheat sticky buns rocked my world. I mean, aside from the fact that they took an entire freaking day to make. How would you ever serve these for breakfast? I started at like 11AM, and between all the mixing, rising, rolling, rising, baking…I finally had hot baked buns at 3:30PM. All day. 
I saw this recipe in the latest Martha, and for some reason, I just had to make them. But, I’m impulsive, and didn’t check my cupboards before getting started. So I made some changes based on what I had on hand, which I think worked out for the better! Seriously: how can coconut and ground hazelnuts EVER be a bad idea? Also, I added ground flax seeds, which are full of good-for-you Omega 3s… so this is basically health food. You might as well be eating a filet of grilled salmon, ya know? Add that to the nutty earthiness of whole wheat, and buttery, gooey, not-too-sweet filling... these are insane.
So, the next time you have a full day set aside for a baking project, here’s what you’re gonna do. - Whip up the dough, set it aside to rise.
- Go to the gym, crank up the CCR (oh, am I the only one who works out to Proud Mary?), and get your work-out on.
- Roll out the dough, spread it with buttery brown sugar goodness, douse it with coconut and ground nuts, roll and slice. Set aside to rise.
- Take a nice long shower… you even have time to shave your legs. Throw in some laundry, watch an episode of GIRLS. Preheat the oven.
- Put the buns in the oven (literally, the buns… in the oven). Watch another episode of GIRLS.
- Remove buns, cool, eat.
See? That was easy!
Whole Wheat Hazelnut & Coconut Sticky Buns
Filling
Lightly brush a medium bowl with butter and set aside.
Make the dough: Combine dough ingredients in bowl of stand mixer with dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed (scraping sides and bottom of bowl once) until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough ball to the buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 -1.5 hours, depending on how warm your house is).
Make the filling: Brush a 9-inch round or 8x8 square cake pan with butter and set aside. Stir together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and fluffy. Spread half of mixture evenly in the bottom of the cake pan.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll into a 10x14 inch rectangle. Spread remaining brown sugar/butter mixture on top, leaving a 1/4-inch border on sides. Sprinkle evenly with ground nuts and coconut.
Starting at a long edge, roll up dough like a jelly roll, then cut crosswise into 10 pieces. Place pieces in pan cut-side down, spaced evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until buns are almost doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake until buns are golden brown and filling is bubbling up the sides, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Invert upside down onto a serving plate (hold plate against pan, and carefully flip). Scrape any leftover topping out of pan and onto buns. Serve warm.
Whole Wheat Hazelnut & Coconut Sticky Buns
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Plan ahead, these take several hours and two rounds of rising. You can buy pre-ground flax seeds from Bob's Redmill (at most grocery stores), or grind them yourself. Also, I used hazelnuts, but any nut will work!
Dough
Plan ahead, these take several hours and two rounds of rising. You can buy pre-ground flax seeds from Bob's Redmill (at most grocery stores), or grind them yourself. Also, I used hazelnuts, but any nut will work!
Dough
Butter for brushing bowl & cake pan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup warm water
1 egg, beaten
Filling
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts (also try pecans, almonds, etc)
1/4 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut (you can also used regular shredded, which will be a bit more moist)
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/3 cup ground hazelnuts (also try pecans, almonds, etc)
1/4 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut (you can also used regular shredded, which will be a bit more moist)
Lightly brush a medium bowl with butter and set aside.
Make the dough: Combine dough ingredients in bowl of stand mixer with dough hook. Mix on medium-low speed (scraping sides and bottom of bowl once) until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer dough ball to the buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 -1.5 hours, depending on how warm your house is).
Make the filling: Brush a 9-inch round or 8x8 square cake pan with butter and set aside. Stir together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth and fluffy. Spread half of mixture evenly in the bottom of the cake pan.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll into a 10x14 inch rectangle. Spread remaining brown sugar/butter mixture on top, leaving a 1/4-inch border on sides. Sprinkle evenly with ground nuts and coconut.
Starting at a long edge, roll up dough like a jelly roll, then cut crosswise into 10 pieces. Place pieces in pan cut-side down, spaced evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until buns are almost doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake until buns are golden brown and filling is bubbling up the sides, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Invert upside down onto a serving plate (hold plate against pan, and carefully flip). Scrape any leftover topping out of pan and onto buns. Serve warm.
