Caramel Rolls are an absolute staple for family gatherings on my mom’s side of the family. Every year at Christmas time, all 12+ of us gather around the LONGEST make-shift table in the world to share each other’s company, and of course, food. There is a vast spread of goodies, but the star is Nana’s caramel rolls. They are the fluffiest, lightest, most divine sweet bread that I have ever had. I do not really eat breakfast anymore, seeing as I have absolutely no appetite before 12 pm. But for these babies, I make an exception. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia that comes with them, or perhaps they’re just damn good breakfast rolls, but regardless, caramel rolls will always be my favorite breakfast treat.
You will notice in the recipe that I give two recipes for the dough. One is a hands-on, entirely scratch-made dough, and the other is an easier version using a hot roll mix from Pillsbury. Nana uses the Hot Roll Mix method, but I like to complicate my life a bit more. I researched and tweaked a copy-cat hot roll mix recipe which is the first dough recipe listed.
DO NOT MAKE BOTH DOUGH RECIPES.
The point of having two dough recipes is NOT so that you make both, but to give you an OPTION for your comfort level. I think it is important to make my recipes accessible to every baker of all levels. That is why I am giving the option for you to choose which dough you are comfortable with making. Either dough makes a delicious roll, so do not feel guilty if you choose the easier one, or if you choose the harder one and go against the normal way that Nana makes it either. These rolls are ultimately your creation. You should feel good and comfortable about whichever way you decide to make them.
If you are making the more complicated dough recipe, you might want to read the following information on yeast. It will help you make sure your rolls will rise like they should. If you are using the hot roll mix method, the information below does not really pertain to you, but it is educational in case you’re interested in reading it!
How do I treat my yeast right to make the best Caramel Rolls?
Needing to have the perfect ratio of sugar to yeast and yeast to flour and water to yeast and water to flour and so on and so forth is truly what makes bread baking so finnicky. The important thing that you should know is that I have taken care of these ratios for you. You don’t need to worry if you have too much of one thing or too little of another. I have that all sorted out for you. What you do need to worry about is two important things: temperature and age. If the yeast is old, your bread will struggle to rise. If your temperature is wrong, your bread might not rise at all.
The ideal temperature for yeast activity is between 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit (32-35 degrees Celsius). If your dough is cold, the yeast’s reaction activity will be hindered. This will make it take forever for your dough to rise. On the other hand, you do not want to have a temperature over 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This puts you at severe risk of killing your yeast and subsequently having a dough that does not rise. That is why it’s important to make sure that the water you’re adding to your dough is warm, not hot. And you must allow your dough to rise in a warm spot. Fresh yeast is best to bake with; however, you can use sealed yeast up to 2 years after purchasing. Or you can use open packets of yeast up to four months after opening. As long as you are keeping track of your yeast’s age and the water temperature, you should be ready to go to make these caramel rolls.
Caramel Rolls
Ingredients
For the Caramel:
- ¾ cup Unsalted Butter
- 2½ cups Light Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Light Karo Syrup
For the Homemade Dough:
- 15.5 ounces All-Purpose Flour
- 2 ounces Granulated Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 ounces Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
- 2 packets Instant Yeast (4½ teaspoons)
- 1 cup Warm Water
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (melted)
- 1 Large Egg
Alternative, Easier Dough Recipe:
- 1 box Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix follow the instructions on the box
- 1 Egg
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Hot Water
For the Filling:
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 4 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Instructions
For the Caramel:
- Heat butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan until melted. Add the Karo syrup and brown sugar. Mix together until totally melted together and bubbling slightly. Pour this caramel into the bottom of two 8-inch round pans, making sure each pan gets equal amounts of the caramel. Set the pans aside.
For the Dough:
- Mix the flour, sugar, salt, milk powder and yeast in a bowl. Add the water butter and egg and knead until a cohesive dough forms and is soft and less sticky. Let rest for 5 minutes.
For the Easier, Alternative Dough Recipe
- Note: If you already made the normal dough recipe you do NOT need to make this extra dough. This dough recipe is for those who do not feel as comfortable with bread making and would like to lean on a boxed mix for their first couple of times making these breakfast rolls. IF
- Using the ingredients under the Easier Alternative Dough Recipe header, follow the instructions for making the dough on the back of the Hot Roll Mix box.
After the Dough is Made:
- Regardless of if you made the normal dough recipe or the easier dough recipe for your dough, the next steps are the same either way.
- Split the dough in half. Roll half of the dough out on a floured surface, in a 15×19 inch rectangle. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Melt the butter and brush it over each rolled out piece of dough. Make sure to cover the entire surface area end to end.
- In a small bowl, mix together the granulated sugar and the cinnamon from the filling section of the ingredients. Sprinkle each piece of dough with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Make sure the entire surface area is covered.
- Roll up the dough along the long side until you are left with a 15 inch long spiraled tube. Pinch the ends of the dough together to seal it shut. Repeat for the other piece of dough.
- Cut each tube of dough into 12 pieces. Try to make them as equal as possible. Cutting two tubes of dough into 12 pieces each should give you 24 caramel rolls in total.
- Place 12 rolls in each cake pan on top of the caramel, make sure the rolls are evenly spaced. Cover and let the rolls rise until double in size (about 45 min).
- Once risen, bake in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes until brown on the top. Once you take them out of the oven, immediately flip over onto a large plate, make sure there is a lot of surface area on the plate because the caramel will run! Enjoy!
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