Dough:
1 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degs)
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Filling:
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
Topping:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup rum
1-1/2 cups pecan halves
One day before serving:
Dough:
Pour the milk into a large bowl. Stir in the yeast and 1/2-cup brown sugar and let stand 5 minutes. Beat in 2 cups of the flour, all the softened butter, the eggs, orange zest, 2 tablespoon cinnamon and the salt until blended. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a alightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a buttered large bowl and turn to coat the dough with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Filling:
Process 3 tablespoon brown sugar, the sugar, 2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 cup chopped pecans in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until combined but still coarse and crumbly. Add the raisins and process very briefly to distribute the raisins evenly through the mixture. Set the filling aside.
Topping:
Mix the 1 cup brown sugar, the honey and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir in the rum and pecan halves. Set the topping aside.
Assembly:
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and punch down. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle, about 1/3-inch thick. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough and press it into the dough with a rolling pin. Starting at one long edge, roll up the dough as thightly as possible like a jelly roll. Lightly butter the sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Spread the topping evenly on the bottom. Cut the dough crosswise into 3/4-inch slices and arrange in rows of 3 over the topping, leaving room for the buns to rise. You should be able to fit 12 to 14 slices in the pan. Cover and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the buns 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Invert the buns onto large platter and serve immediately.