Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together (I put them all into a large bowl and mixed well with a wire whisk).
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal. You can use a pastry cutter, fork, or fingers.
Beat the egg and then add it to the flour mixture along with the milk. Stir until a soft dough forms, and all of the flour has been incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for about 1 minute using only as much additional flour as needed to keep from sticking.
Roll dough in o a rectangle about 10 x 15 inches.
Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, orange rind, melted butter, and honey.
Spread half of the honey mixture onto the dough and sprinkle with ⅓ cup of the chopped pecans.
Roll up the dough like you are making cinnamon rolls and slice it into 12 equal pieces.
Place the honey buns into a baking dish that has been sprayed well with non-stick spray. Top the rolls with the remaining honey mixture and sprinkle with the remaining chopped pecans.
Bake the rolls in a 400-degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes if using a 13" x 9" baking dish, 30 - 35 minutes if using an 8" x 10" baking dish. The rolls will be golden brown and no longer look doughy in the center.
When you remove the rolls from the oven, carefully flip them over onto a piece of foil or a cooking sheet. They may stick a bit to the baking dish if left in there to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
TipPlease note that these buns will stick to the bottom of the baking dish once cooled. When you take them out of the oven, carefully flip the honey buns over onto a piece of foil. The yummy, honey sugar will then settle back onto the honey buns and not get stuck on the bottom of your dish. If you don't like or are unable to use nuts, just omit the pecans. No orange zest? No problem. The flavor will be slightly different but they will still be good.My daughter has asked me to make them again soon but to make them more like a cinnamon roll. No problem! I think I will use a bit more butter and a bit less honey when I do that. A simple, no-yeast cinnamon roll is always a delicious quick treat.