Pecan Sweet Rolls - A Holiday Tradition Revised!

For the last 37 years I have been making Pecan Sweet Rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas mornings. Bready, cinnamony, gooey, nutty, these rolls start holiday mornings with that familiar, twice a year smell and taste. This year we tried a gluten free, refined sugar free version. Here they are!

Coarsely chop nuts. Pecans are our favorite, but walnuts would be good too!

Melt butter in bottom of pan and swirl to coat sides. Sprinkle with coconut sugar and drizzle with agave syrup.

Cover with chopped nuts.

Layer 1/2 amount of batter over nuts.

Spread coconut sugar, cinnamon and butter mixture over batter and lightly swirl with a toothpick.

Cover with remaining 1/2 of batter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 and bake another 10 inutes. This helps the pecans and sugar to caramelize.

Remove from oven and loosen around edge with a sharp knife. Turn over quickly onto a parchment covered board.

Pecan Sweet Rolls, Revised

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free

Bread Dough:

¼ cup warm water
2 ½ teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoons honey

4 eggs, room temperature (they must be at room temp)
⅓ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup tapioca starch
3/4 cup gluten free flour (we use cup 4 cup)
2 tablespoon ground psyllium husk or xantham gum
¾ teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water and 1 tablespoon honey. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes. The mixture will get foamy if the yeast has been activated. Beat the eggs in a large separate bowl until they get light in color. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, tapioca starch, gluten free flour, psyllium husk and salt. Add the flour mixture, butter, and honey to the eggs and beat until well combined. Mix in the yeast mixture and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides a couple of times. The dough will not be like a traditional bread dough, it will be more like thick cake batter.  

Filling:

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup coconut sugar

3 Tablespoons cinnamon

Combine ans set aside.

Other Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup agave syrup

Method:

Melt butter in 13 x 9 glass baking dish, swirling to coat sides. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar over butter evenly and drizzle with agave syrup. Sprinkle evenly with pecans, Spread 1/2 of the bread dough over pecans. Top with filling mixture, swirling it lightly with a toothpick. Spread with remaining dough.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. lightly cover with foil when golden brown. Raise oven temperature to 400 and bake for 10 minutes more. Pull out of the oven and run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen it. Place a board or cookie sheet covered in parchment over sweet roll and quickly turn it over. Lift off the glass baking dish. Be careful of the steam! Cut into large squares and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!