These are awesomely decadent. They elicited moans of joy from our local veggie group at a potluck this weekend. This is an unholy admixture of Meg's Vegan Recipes: "Oooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls" + Savoring Savannah: "Savannah Pecan Rolls with Sticky Topping"
Rolls:
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3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened
3-1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant (rapid-rise) yeast
1/4 cup light sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Heat the soy milk on the stove or in the microwave until bubbling. Remove from heat and mix in 1/4 cup margarine until melted. Let cool to lukewarm.
In a large bowl, combine 2-1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add the water mixture and the soy milk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir well. Add the remaining cup of flour a little at a time until dough pulls together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a moist napkin and let rest for 5 minutes.
Filling:
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1 cup dark sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened
Mix the sugar, cinnamon and margarine together. Roll out the roll dough on a floured surface until it forms a 12x9 rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a half-inch clearance on all sides. Roll up the dough and pinch the seam to seal.
Topping:
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2 Tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1/2 cup dark sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup / brown rice syrup / maple syrup
1/2 cup smashed/chopped pecans
Make sure all your topping ingredients are at room temperature. Heat the margarine in a large baking dish (or two smaller ones) in the microwave or oven until melted. Add the sugar and syrup and heat for another 30 seconds or so. Stir in the pecans and remove from heat.
Slice the dough log into 12 equal pieces. Place each piece, cut side up, on top of the topping. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand on the counter for half an hour (if possible) and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, let the rolls come to room temperature (in my case, this meant setting them out for 5 minutes while I hit the snooze button). Bake the rolls for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes, then cover the pan with a serving plate and invert. Be patient... eventually they'll fall out onto the plate.
Ingredient Notes: I used vanilla soy milk, Earth Balance brand margarine, turbinado sugar (for light sugar), Sucanat (for dark sugar), and some cheap butter pecan-flavored brown rice syrup I got in bulk at Costco for the topping. I also try not to think too hard about the amount of margarine that goes into these. Out of sight, out of mind. :)
