CARAMEL ROLLS

Approximately 24 medium-size rolls

 

Many caramel roll recipes call for ingredients such as buttermilk or sour cream. I was delighted to come up with this simple but truly tasty recipe which uses just basic ingredients. If you don’t have a bread machine, you can still make the recipe; just be sure to warm your milk to the appropriate temperature range and thoroughly knead your dough to help achieve a satisfactory rise. It’s likely to quickly become your go-to recipe for sweet rolls!

 

1 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar

4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast

 

3 1/3 – 4 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter, softened or chopped

1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten

 

Warm the milk to a temperature range of 105 to 110 degrees. Use a digital thermometer to verify the temperature. Dissolve the sugar in the milk and check the temperature again. If it’s below 105, warm it slightly on the stove top. Once the water is within the temperature range, dissolve the yeast in it and allow it to sit until the yeast is activated and bubbly.

 

While the yeast is activating, measure and mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the ¼ cup butter into small pieces.

 

Once the yeast is ready, pour the mixture into the bread machine canister (or mixer bowl). Add the flour mixture and the butter.

 

If you can program your bread machine, set it for these three cycles: 15 minutes mix/knead; 20 minutes rest; 10 minutes mix/knead. If you aren’t able to program your machine, simply use a timer to work through the cycles. If you’re using a mixer, the cycle times are exactly the same. Be sure to keep the dough covered and warm during the rest period. For each cycle, keep the mixer bowl and dough hook warm so it doesn’t hamper your yeast action.

 

After the first five minutes of the initial mix/knead cycle, check the dough. If it sticks to your hand, add flour (2 tablespoons to ¼ cup at a time) until the dough is moist but no longer sticks to your hand.

 

While the dough is in the bread machine, prepare the caramel topping and place it in a 9x13 cake pan. There’s no need to coat the pan. The caramel will easily slip out.

 

Once the three bread machine cycles are complete, divide the dough into two pieces. Roll out one piece at a time on a silicone mat or well-floured surface. Spread one tablespoon of softened butter across the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture across the dough. From the long side, roll the dough up into a rope-shape. Cut into 10 or 12 pieces, placing each piece on top of the caramel topping.

 

Once the rolls are in the pan, cover them and allow them to rise in a warm location for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, heat your oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350-degrees for 25 minutes. If you wish, you can bake them for 30 minutes; just know the caramel may harden with the extended baking time.

 

Remove from the oven and immediately invert onto a plate or tray, taking care not to come in contact with the hot caramel. These rolls are delicious hot or cooled. Enjoy!

 

Caramel topping

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup butter

¼ cup corn syrup

 

Melt the butter; stir in the brown sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and add the corn syrup, stirring to blend it in. While it’s still hot, pour it into the 9x13-inch pan.

 

Filling

¼ cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons softened butter

Using a small bowl, mix all ingredients and set aside.

 

Find this recipe and 29 more in "30 Dakota Prairie Bread Recipes," available at this link:

https://py.pl/1j4b8L