***BEFORE YOU START*** It's VERY important to follow the instructions precisely in this recipe. No ingredient substitutions are recommended, and no other gluten-free flour blend will work for this recipe. 

FIRST, MAKE THE DOUGH

• Combine Dry Ingredients. Add gluten-free flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and baking powder to a stand mixer and gently pulse with the paddle attachment on low speed to combine. (Do not use a hand mixer, dough hook, or whisk attachment.)
• Add Wet Ingredients. With the mixer on LOW speed, gradually add warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and eggs, one at at time.
• Beat. Turn the mixer speed up to HIGH and mix the dough for 3 full minutes to allow the dough to fully blend. It will look VERY sticky and wet--more like thick, sticky cake batter than bread dough. This is normal!
• Cover & Chill. Use an oiled spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl and form the dough into a ball. (Make sure to also scrape the bottom of the bowl to check for any unmixed spots!) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill 20 minutes to make the dough easier to handle.

MAKE CARAMEL PECAN TOPPING

• Melt Butter. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
• Combine. Add brown sugar, pure maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks uniform. (Don't let the caramel sauce boil, as we don't want it getting hard in the oven.)
• Pour caramel sauce into a lightly greased metal 9x13 pan and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Set aside while you assemble the cinnamon buns.

MAKE CINNAMON FILLING & SHAPE ROLLS

• Combine Cinnamon Filling. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar with cinnamon, vanilla powder (if using), and a pinch of salt. Mix until well blended, to evenly distribute the cinnamon into the sugar.
• Roll Out. Lay down a sheet of parchment paper & lightly flour or very lightly flour your countertop. Transfer the dough from the bowl to your parchment or counter and cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 15-inch square (15"x 15").
• Fill The Rolls. Spread Softened Butter over the 15-inch dough square in an even layer. The butter should be VERY soft so it's easily spreadable. If you can't get the butter soft enough, you can melt it and cool it slightly before spreading. Sprinkle the cinnamon brown sugar mixture over the butter in an even layer.
• Form The Rolls. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into twelve (1.25-inch) strips. Roll each strip up to form a roll, starting at one end and tightly rolling to make a spiral as you go. (We find this method works MUCH better with gluten-free sweet rolls than the traditional rolling the dough into a long cylinder and slicing or using floss to cut them.) Place rolls into the pan on top of the caramel & pecans.

LET ROLLS RISE, THEN BAKE

• Cover & Rise. Then, cover the pan with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise 45-60 minutes. They'll look puffy but won't double in size at this point. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees as the cinnamon buns rise.
• Bake. Remove the plastic wrap from the pan, then place the pan on baking sheet (to catch any possible spills!) and bake sticky buns in preheated oven 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. The interior of the dough should read at least 190-200 degrees F. Set rolls aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Flip. After the sticky buns have cooled 5-10 minutes, you'll flip them out of the pan. To do this safely, I recommend placing a COOL (or room temperature) sheet pan on top of the pan, face down (like a lid). Then, wearing oven mitts(!!!), carefully flip the pan so the sticky buns fall out of the 9x13 and onto the sheet pan. (The caramel pecan topping should now be on top)
• Serve & Store. Enjoy right away or within a few hours for best results. Cover leftover sticky buns and store in the refrigerator 1-2 days. Reheat a few seconds in the microwave or a few minutes in the oven for best results.