Sticky pecan rolls, sliced in concentric circles and toasted on a griddle with butter, were the irresistible draw to Ann Arbor’s now-closed Drake’s Sandwich Shop when I was a student at the University of Michigan. I imagined some little old lady making these rolls each morning but learned only recently that Drake’s ordered them from another bakery.
Baker Frank Carollo also tasted pecan rolls from Drake’s when he was at the University of Michigan. He later became co-managing partner at the Bakehouse, the second business in the Zingerman’s Deli empire. Frank learned to make pecan rolls, as did I, from Michael London of Mrs. London’s Bakeshop in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Michael learned about these schnecken (the German and Yiddish name for “snails”) from the greatest of teachers, William Greenberg of William Greenberg Desserts in New York. Whenever I make these pecan sticky buns, I remember the taste, and the carefree years at my alma mater.
Note that the buns reheat well from room temperature (even if they’ve been frozen). Make them over two days; the dough is very soft, but that’s not a mistake.
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