Place all ingredients for the sourdough buns except the flour in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add 2 ½ cups of flour to the bowl and mix in, then continue to add the flour, ¼ cup at a time, until the dough forms. You may not need to add all of the flour, or you might need a little more

Continue to knead for 4-5 minutes until a smooth, supple dough forms. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning over once to coat the top with oil. Cover tightly with a lid or cling wrap and let it rise overnight in a warm place. The dough should have doubled by morning.

To make the sourdough sticky buns, lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. Coat the bottom of the dish evenly with the sugar and then pour on the maple syrup, if using. Sprinkle the chopped pecans evenly over the sugar.

Make the rest of the glaze by mixing the melted butter with the vanilla extract. Pour over the pecans and sugar in the baking dish.

Lightly flour a work surface. Place the risen dough on it, then roll into a rectangle about 16 inches in length and 9 inches in width.

Make the filling by mixing together the cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Spread it evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border clear along one of the long sides of the rectangle.

Starting with the long edge covered by the sugar mixture, roll carefully into a log. Use a sharp or serrated knife to cut into 16 1-inch pieces lengthwise.

Arrange the sticky bun rolls in the baking dish. If any sugar has fallen out while you were rolling the dough into a cylinder, sprinkle it on top of the buns. Cover the buns and set aside in a warm place to rise. After 2-4 hours, depending on the strength of your starter, the buns should have risen and become quite puffy.

About ½ hour before baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius. Place the buns in the oven and bake 35 minutes until golden-brown

Let the rolls cool in the baking dish placed over a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes. Then place a serving platter over the baking dish and quickly but very carefully (the baking dish will be quite hot) invert the rolls onto the platter. Pull the rolls out and enjoy!