Pull Apart Honey Pecan Coffeecake
For the Dough:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup lukewarm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
One 1/4-ounce package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups (or more) all-purpose flour
For the Coffeecake:
Nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 1/4 cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons honey
FOR THE DOUGH: Melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Remove from heat; add milk. Let mixture stand until cooled to at least 110
degrees F.
Meanwhile, combine water and yeast in large bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer; let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add milk mixture, sugar, eggs and salt. Using dough hook, mix on high speed until eggs are blended.
Gradually mix in 4 1/4 cups flour. Continue kneading on medium speed until
dough is smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, adding more flour if
necessary, about 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl; form into ball. Sprinkle
some flour into bottom of mixing bowl; return dough to bowl. Cover and chill
overnight.
FOR THE COFFEECAKE: Spray 10-inch-diameter angel food cake pan with
nonstick spray. Sprinkle pecans evenly over bottom of pan. Punch dough down.
Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 10-inch square. Cut dough
into five 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip into five 2-inch squares,
creating 25 pieces total.
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl. Dip each dough piece into melted butter, then into brown sugar mixture, coating each piece evenly.
Transfer each piece to waxed paper-lined baking sheet.
Combine all remaining melted butter (about 2 tablespoons) with all remaining
brown sugar mixture (2 to 3 tablespoons). Stir 3 tablespoons honey into
brown sugar mixture. Pour honey mixture evenly over pecans in pan. Arrange
dough pieces atop pecans, spacing evenly and creating two layers. Drizzle
dough with remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Let rise in warm draft-free area
until almost doubled, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to
350 degrees F.
Bake coffeecake until golden brown, about 55 minutes. Cool on rack 10
minutes. Turn coffeecake out onto platter. Serve warm or at room
temperature.