Sticky Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

For the dough:

Add yeast to the water in a large bowl. Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve. Add the salt and all of the flour, measuring it with dry-ingredient measuring cups, by gently scooping the flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula. Don’t press down into the flour as you scoop or you’ll throw off the measurement by compressing. Mix with a wooden spoon. If necessary, reach into your bowl with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Don’t knead! It isn’t necessary. You’re finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. Dough should be wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of the container.

Allow to rise: Cover with a towel that fits well over the bowl you’re using. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature for two hours. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to an hour after in rises.

For the topping:

While the dough is rising cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Spread the mixture evenly among two 9-inch cake pans. Sprinkle 3/4 cup of pecans over each cake pan that you’ve filled with the butter/sugar mixture. Set aside.

For the filling:

Cream together sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Cut the dough evenly in half. Take one half of the dough and pat it with flour. Lay it on a lightly floured surface and roll out onto a 1/8 inch thick rectangle. Spread the half of the filling mixture evenly over the top surface of the dough. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans over the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll tightly into a log, rolling it lengthwise. Cut into seven even sized slices/rolls and put the rolls into one of the 9-inch cake pans. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Let them both rise at room temperature for 45 minutes. Towards the end of the rising period, preheat oven to 350 F.

Bake at 350 F for 18-25 minutes or until the middles are golden brown. After pulling them out of the oven, cut around each roll with a knife to separate them. Invert immediately onto a serving dish. If you let them sit too long, they will stick to the pan and be difficult to turn out. Spoon any of the topping remains over the rolls and enjoy!