We love when a cookbook comes along that feels like pure joy. Isn’t that what baking is all about, after all? A great example is the new book Bake Your Heart Out and recipes such as this satisfyingly sweet breakfast treat. Here’s what the author has to say:

When you want a big payoff in about an hour, you will be hard-pressed to do better than this soft and satisfying breakfast bake. Reminiscent of a monkey bread, with its irresistible pull-apart texture, this is the dough I turn to when I want the soft bounce of a yeasted sweet dough without the rising time. Kneading the dough for a minute gives it just enough structure while the addition of Greek yogurt keeps the dough springy and easy to work with. The topping caramelizes as the buns bake, creating a classic sticky bun look and feel. Golden raisins and chocolate chips provide little pops of flavor and texture.

Makes about 18 small buns, serve 8 to 10

Ingredients

Quick Sweet Dough

• 1¼ cups (165 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon fine salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• ¾ cup (200 g) cold Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup (45 g) golden raisins
• 3 tablespoons (35 g) mini chocolate chips

Sticky Honey Caramel

• 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup (60 g) honey
• ¼ cup (55 g) lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 3 or 4 grates of fresh nutmeg, or ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (110 g) pecans, toasted

Instructions

Make the Dough

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the center position. Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick baking spray and line it with a circle of parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the butter and work with your fingers until crumbly like breadcrumbs. Add the yogurt, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of water and stir with a rubber spatula until mostly combined. Add the raisins and chips and mix until incorporated. The dough will be slightly sticky. Refrigerate the dough for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the topping.

Make the Honey Caramel

3. In a medium bowl, use a fork to stir the honey caramel ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

4. Sprinkle half of the pecans evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Dip your fingertips in flour and pinch off generous 1-inch chunks of dough—you’ll have about 18. Roll each portion of dough into a ball. Arrange half the dough balls in the pan and drizzle with half the honey caramel, covering each ball. Scatter with the remaining pecans, pressing them into the dough balls. Top with a second layer of dough balls and drizzle them with the remaining honey caramel, making sure to coat each one.

5. Bake on the center rack for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the buns are an even deep golden brown and the center buns spring back when pressed. You can use a butter knife to peel back the crust on a center top portion to be sure that it is cooked through and not doughy. Cool for 5 minutes, then cover the pan with a serving plate larger than the pan. Carefully flip them both, inverting the buns onto the plate and lifting off the pan. Peel off the parchment paper and cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day and refresh by reheating in a 300°F oven.

Baker’s Note

Any nuts work here, just use enough to cover the bottom of the pan generously. Other dried fruits, like cranberries or apples, would be nice substitutions for the golden raisins.

Excerpted from Bake Your Heart Out: Foolproof Recipes to Level Up Your Home Baking by Dan Langan. Copyright 2023. Published with permission from Union Square & Co.