 (Photos by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post) | Week 5: Getting to know your dough When I step into the kitchen and lug the large jars of flour and sugar onto the counter, I'm hoping to quell my monstrous sweet tooth, of course … but I'm also looking for a different kind of fulfillment. As I've become more experienced in the kitchen, I find great comfort in the actual process of bringing a recipe together. There's a certain peace and meditative quality that comes along with coaxing flour and fat into a luscious dough. Sticky pecan rolls are one of my most common comfort-baking adventures. Think cinnamon roll meets pecan candy bar. When it comes to a recipe that satisfies on multiple levels, why should we have to choose between the two? These rolls start with an enriched, yeasted dough. Enriched as in wealthy in fat from whole milk, eggs and butter. It's all this glorious fat that makes for a soft, supple and easy-to-work-with dough. This week is all about hands-on yeast baking. Last week, we let water and time develop the gluten structure of our Overnight Dutch Oven Bread. In fact, the dough was too wet to knead, so we had to be observers of the yeast and gluten process. This week, we're more hands-on with our dough. We'll allow it to first come together in the bowl of a stand mixer, and as the dry ingredients incorporate the fat, the dough will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. When it gathers around the dough hook, it's time to knead by hand. Our hands can learn so much about transformation just in kneading. It's a getting-to-know-you exercise. The glory of this dough is it's so supple that it won't stick to the counter, and we don't have to worry about incorporating much extra flour. Use the heel of your hand to press the dough away from you, stretching the gluten structure before folding it back toward you. As you repeat this motion, the dough will smooth and begin to tighten. That's the gluten structure taking shape and creating a smooth, pillowy softness. There are a few steps to this recipe, but there's a comfort in each of them. The dough will double in size slowly, leaving enough time to whip together a quick pecan caramel and drizzle it into a baking pan. After its rise, the dough is rolled thin, filled with a gratuitous amount of cinnamon and sugar, coiled, sliced and set back atop the caramel. The rolls rise generously in the oven as the caramel bubbles underneath. To finish, we'll invert the warm rolls onto a platter, allowing the pecans and caramel to drizzle over the top. From kneading the soft dough to filling the house with the smell of warm cinnamon rolls, this recipe will give you all the feels. And just like that, we've unlocked fall baking in all its sweet, cozy comfort! Baking at altitude? Check out this handy guide with tips for making slight adjustments to achieve the results you're after.  | This week's toolbox | Here's what you'll need to nail this week's recipe: 9-inch square pan: a versatile baking pan that's perfect for these yeasty rolls as well as thick, fudgy brownies and bars. Stand mixer or electric hand mixer  | Recipe | Sticky Pecan RollsThese delicious sticky buns start with an enriched dough made with yeast, eggs, butter and milk. The fat makes the dough soft, supple and pliable with an even, slightly slow rise. Cooler days make turning on the oven feel cozy, resulting in sweet, nutty and irresistible warm rolls. For easy printing and scaling, view this recipe on our website at washingtonpost.com/recipes. IngredientsMakes 12 rolls
Prep time: 40 mins, plus 1 1/2 hours dough rising time
Bake time: 30-32 mins For the dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
3 tablespoons warm water
Scant 3 cups (360 grams) flour, plus more for dusting the counter
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) whole milk, at room temperature, or more as needed
1/3 cup (65 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into medium chunks
For the filling:
1/2 cup (99 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the topping:
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
1/3 cup (113 grams) honey
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups (125 grams) coarsely chopped pecans StepsMake the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the yeast with warm water until combined. Add the flour, milk, brown sugar, egg, vanilla and salt. Using a silicone spatula, stir the mixture into a shaggy dough. Place the bowl on the stand mixer and mix on low speed, slowly adding chunks of butter as the dough comes together. If the dough looks too dry, add another tablespoon of milk. Increase the mixer speed to medium and knead the dough until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand into a cohesive, relatively smooth ball, about 3 minutes.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Make the filling: While the dough rises, in a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt until combined. Reserve the room-temperature butter for use in assembling the sticky rolls. Make the topping: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, honey, butter and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let the mixture gently simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans. Make the rolls: Generously flour a work surface and unwrap the dough onto it. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 15 inches. Spread the reserved butter over the dough and sprinkle the filling mixture on top. Starting with the long edge of the dough, lift and roll it into a tight log, seam-side down.  | Using a sharp knife, trim off the uneven edges. Slice the log in half, and cut each half in half again. Then slice those four portions into thirds, which will leave you with 12 equal pieces.
Pour prepared pecan topping into a 9-inch square pan. Nestle the cut rolls over the topping. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest while the oven preheats, about 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; position the rack in the upper third of the oven.
Uncover the rolls and bake for 30 to 32 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. While the rolls are still warm, run a butter knife around the edges of the pan and invert the entire pan onto a large serving platter. Scape any nuts or caramel that remain in the pan on top of the rolls. Serve warm.
Nutritional facts (per roll): Calories: 420; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Fat: 24 g; Saturated Fat: 12 g; Cholesterol: 65 mg; Sodium: 130 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 23 g.  | Did you make the recipe?We want to see how your sticky rolls turned out! Share your Baking Basics creations with us on Instagram with #eatvoraciously. Your Dutch Oven Breads and Apple Cranberry Crumb Pies are dazzling us. Shout outs this week to Caroline and Brittany. Next week: Tall, tender buttermilk biscuits that belong on your dinner table. Have a question about the recipe?Email us at voraciously@washpost.com or message @eatvoraciously on Instagram. If you're having trouble viewing or receiving this or other newsletters from the series, or have other email tech questions, drop us a note here. Visit Voraciously.com for recipes, how-to guides, the latest food trends and much more. Joy Wilson is a self-taught baker turned professional, food photographer and cookbook author. She is the author of "Homemade Decadence" and teaches baking workshops at her studio, the Bakehouse, in New Orleans. Find her at @joythebaker on Instagram and Twitter. | 
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