Swaps and Substitutions:

• You can replace the active dry yeast in this recipe with instant yeast. Instead of blooming it in the milk, add it with the flour and pumpkin spice blend.
• Use store bought canned pumpkin puree or use my recipe for making it at home.
• You can replace the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree and make sweet potato sticky buns instead.
• Homemade pumpkin spice blend can be replaced with a jarred version. 
• Replace the maple syrup with corn syrup (light or dark). Don't use pancake syrup which is too sweet. 
• You can replace the pecans in this sticky bun recipe with walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), or almonds. 
• You can replace the all-purpose flour in the pumpkin-sugar filling with an almond meal, whole wheat flour, or cake flour. 

Tips and Techniques:

• After 2-3 minutes, during the blooming process, the yeast will foam and move around in the milk. It will also emit a scent similar to beer. If none of these things happen, your yeast is dead, and you need to begin again with fresh, live yeast. 
• Most mixers tell you to knead only on 2, but I prefer 4 because it develops the right amount of gluten. 
• Store bought pumpkin puree tends to be on the watery side, so you might have looser dough if you're using it instead of homemade.
• The all-purpose flour gives structure to the pumpkin-sugar filling and prevents it from curdling too much from the water in the pumpkin puree. 
• Storing the dough under the inverted bowl keeps it from drying out while it rests.
• The second rise of pumpkin sweet dough is only 45 minutes because you don't want the rolls to overproof and then deflate, which leads to a dense, stodgy pumpkin sticky bun. 

Overnight Pumpkin Sticky Buns:

1. Arrange the rolls in the caramel-pecan glaze in the baking dish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
2. Put the unwrapped pan in a cold oven. Allow it to warm in the cold oven for 20 minutes before turning it on to 350°F (170°C).
3. Set a timer to 25 minutes after the oven comes to temperature, as indicated by the beep it lets off.
4. Bake the pumpkin sweet rolls for 25 minutes and check them. Once they're golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190°F (90°C), remove the pan from the oven.

Storage Instructions:

• Store leftover pumpkin sticky buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. 
• To give sticky buns fresh baked flavor, heat them in the microwave on high for 20 seconds. 

Freezing Instructions:

• To Freeze Pumpkin Sweet Dough:
  1. Make the pumpkin sweet dough for sticky buns as instructed and allow it to rise for 1 hour.
  2. After it rises, punch down the dough and store it in a lightly oiled food storage bag in the freezer.
  3. Freeze the dough for up to 2 months.
  4. Thaw the frozen pumpkin sweet dough for 24 hours in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe. 
• To Freeze Formed, UnBaked Sticky Buns:
  1. Freeze the sticky buns after panning them, but before the second rise.
  2. Wrap the pan in a layer or two of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
  3. Freeze the rolls for 2 months.
  4. Thaw the frozen pumpkin sticky buns in the refrigerator for 24 hours before removing them and allowing them to warm and proof for 1 1/2 hours. The added proofing time compensates for the chill on the dough since it's been refrigerated.
• To Freeze Baked Pumpkin Sticky Buns:
  1. Turn them out of the baking dish 10 minutes after you remove them from the oven.
  2. Transfer the entire batch to a freezer-safe storage container, or store them individually to make an easy, grab-and-go breakfast. 
  3. Freeze the sticky buns for 2 months.
  4. Thaw frozen pumpkin sticky buns at room temperature in an airtight container vented slightly to allow the condensation to escape.
  5. Reheat and enjoy.