Heat the coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of the sugar to about 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in a large mixing bowl (you can do this either on the stovetop or in the microwave). Sprinkle the yeast on top and whisk until the yeast is incorporated into the coconut milk. Allow this mixture to sit for 8 to 10 minutes, until the yeast is very fragrant and the mixture appears foamy (in other words, the yeast is blooming). If you have a stand mixer, feel free to use it to prepare the dough, and mix on a low speed.

While the yeast is blooming, add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and sea salt to a separate mixing bowl and stir until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl in halves, stirring well in between each addition. The dough should feel moist but should not be overly sticky. If the dough is very sticky, continue adding more gluten-free flour a few tablespoons at a time until you’re able to easily manipulate the dough. Do note that the dough will not feel the same as regular cinnamon roll dough as gluten-free flour tends to remain fairly sticky in recipes like this. There is no need to knead the dough since it is gluten-free.

Form the sticky bun dough into a ball, place it into the mixing bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, followed by a damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm place in your house for 1 to 2 hours, or until the dough has about doubled in size. The amount of rise time this takes depends on the temperature of your house. If you keep your house warm, it will take about an hour. To speed up the process, if you have a bread proof function on your oven, feel free to use it!

While the dough is rising, prepare the caramel sauce. Combine the butter, sugar, pure maple syrup, sea salt, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Bring the caramel mixture to a full but gentle boil and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and heavy cream.

Grease a 9-inch round or 9-inch square casserole dish or baking pan with a generous amount of coconut oil (or butter if using).

Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of the baking dish such that it is spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the sauce. Note: if you’d like to lightly roast the raw pecans prior to this step, feel free to do so.

Lay a long sheet of parchment paper on your counter and sprinkle it lightly with gluten-free flour.

Transfer the cinnamon roll dough to the center of the parchment paper and roll it into a rectangle about ¼-inch thick. (note: if you don’t own a rolling pin, you can use a wine bottle or jar of peanut butter to roll the dough).

Spread the softened coconut oil (or soft butter) over the cinnamon roll dough. Note: if your coconut oil is hard, you can microwave it for 15 second intervals until it is softened (but not melted). You may not need to use all of the coconut oil, but be sure the dough is generously coated.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Note that it won’t mix together very easily. This is normal! Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the dough, leaving about ½-inch around the edges. Gently press the cinnamon and sugar into the greased cinnamon roll dough with your hands.

Assertively roll the dough into a log shape. The easiest way to do this is to utilize the parchment paper to help roll the dough onto itself, then gently pressing the dough over the parchment paper to ensure it holds together into a tight log.

Note: you may need to press the dough together if it begins to break apart in any areas. It is normal for gluten-free dough to not hold together easily and it can be fairly finicky to work with, but all you need to do to keep it held together is to persistently press it together in the areas it breaks apart.

Once you have your log of dough, use a serrated knife or a sharp knife to cut it into 10 to 12 equal pieces, about 1-inch wide each.

Transfer the raw cinnamon rolls to the prepared baking dish with the pecans and caramel sauce. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to sit and rise for another 30 to 40 minutes, after which there shouldn’t be any wide gaps between the rolls as they should become nice and puffy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish. Bake the pecan sticky rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are very lightly golden brown.

Remove the sticky buns from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. If the rolls cool for too long, the sauce will harden and if they don’t cool for enough time, the sauce will be too runny.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and loosen up the edges of sticky buns with a butter knife. Place the parchment-lined pan upside down on top of the baking dish of buns. Use both hands to hold the edges of the baking sheet and the dish of buns and flip the buns over so that they turn out onto the baking sheet with the caramel pecans now showing on top. If you'd like, sprinkle extra pecans on top.

Serve these delicious gluten-free caramel sticky buns and enjoy!