Melt-in-your-mouth sticky caramel rolls make a perfect treat for breakfast at the holidays in particular. But don’t get intimidated, even though this is a recipe for making caramel rolls from scratch, it’s foolproof and I’m certain the end result will be lip-smacking delicious caramel rolls. Once you make your first batch, your family and friends will constantly ask for more.
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What are caramel rolls?
Caramel rolls are soft sticky rolls with the goodness of gooey caramel sauce on the top and the bottom. I love caramel in my desserts, it makes everything so yummy just like my famous Caramel apple cheesecake. These delicious golden rolls make for an amazing kid-friendly dessert and the best breakfast you will ever have.
What is the difference between caramel rolls, sticky buns and cinnamon rolls?
Sticky buns and caramel rolls are the same thing, both have a rich caramel sauce, are typically topped with pecan nuts and are denser than cinnamon rolls. So know that you can use those names, sticky rolls and caramel rolls, interchangeably. Cinnamon rolls on the other hand are rich in cinnamon sugar, do not contain any caramel sauce and are topped with a delicious cream cheese glaze. In terms of the commonalities for these scrumptious treats, it’s all about the yeast! Both bun types are made from yeasted dough that is shaped into a rectangle, rolled into a log and sliced to make those adorable yummy looking rolls.
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need:
- milk
- yeast
- sugar
- butter
- eggs
- plain flour
- salt
- honey
- cinnamon (Optional)
*Yeast may seem like an atypical ingredient but it really isn’t. Yeast is a critical ingredient for making the roll rise to it’s fluffy galore and it’s used in several other recipes like anything involved bread-making
Cooking Instructions
Once you have all the ingredients ready follow these simple steps to make delicious homemade caramel rolls-
- Start by preheating the oven to 375° degrees
- In a bowl mix all the ingredients of the dough. (You can mix it in a mixer or it can be done by hand.)
- Once everything is incorporated, let it rise for about an hour and half until it doubles in size. This is an important step to make soft and light rolls.
- Meanwhile, we will start making the sauce by putting the sauce ingredients in a saucepan with low heat until bubbles start to form and everything is well melted and mixed. Then turn off the flame and put the caramel sauce in the pan that we are going to use for baking.
- When the dough has risen, Roll the dough out into a rectangle.
- Then, paint on top of the dough with butter, cinnamon (Optional), and blond sugar.
- Working from the long edge, roll the dough into a log, pinching the ends so it stays together.
- Using a serrated knife or dental floss, cut the dough into 12 equal buns.
- Place the rolls one by one in the pan with the caramel sauce, and leave them to rise for a few minutes again.
- Then bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until they have a golden color.
- As soon as you take them out of the oven, you must turn them over, so that the caramel that was below ends up on top. You can do this by carefully flipping them over onto a serving plate.
Tips to attain homemade caramel roll perfection
- To attain the right texture for caramel rolls, when you knead the dough make sure all the flour in the mixing bowl is picked up by the dough. You want your dough to be soft but not too sticky.
- Roll the dough loosely so that the center of the rolls does not puff up after baking.
- Your rolls should be about one inch thick after you cut them.
- To make the perfect caramel sauce, you want the sauce temperature to be between 220-230 degree Fahrenheit. If you have a candy thermometer you can check that way- if not, no worries. Be sure to let the sauce sit out for a minute before you pour it in the baking pan.
- These rolls are exquisite and the dough is super soft- definitely try some while they are still warm!
Also, if you enjoy sweet treats for brunch, do check out this delicious Puff Pastry Braid recipe and this Pumpkin Roll Recipe by fellow bloggers.
Other Common Questions
Can I add nuts to caramel rolls?
Yes absolutely, you can add a variety of nuts of your choice like pecan nuts, walnuts, or salted caramel nuts. We recommend you sprinkle one cup of nuts on top of caramel sauce in the baking pan to incorporate them perfectly.
Pecan caramel rolls in particular are very popular and easy to make
Can I add apples?
Yes you can add one cup of finely diced apples (not peeled) to the caramel sauce so you can now say the rolls are healthy 🙂
How do I make gluten-free caramel rolls?
A great way to make caramel rolls gluten-free is to replace the plain flour with a gluten-free dinner roll mix or a gluten-free flour blend. For dusting purposes, while rolling out the dough you can use tapioca flour or cornstarch.
Can I have caramel rolls with ice cream?
Yes, ice cream perfectly complements your caramel rolls and we recommend you have them with a side of vanilla ice cream.
Can I freeze the rolled dough?
You can freeze the rolled dough for baking thee caramel rolls at a later time. Just make sure the dough comes to room temperature and is thawed well so that it is easy to roll.
Can I make caramel rolls with frozen bread dough?
Yes you can make the rolls with frozen bread dough. Just make sure your dough defrosts completely, then cover it with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let it rise for 3-5 hours before rolling it out. The cooking spray will prevent the dough from sticking to the wrap. Frozen dough will take more time to rise as compared to fresh dough, but this is an important step to attain similar results.
What are Rhodes caramel rolls?
Rhodes caramel rolls are a shortcut to skip the step of making and rolling the yeasted dough. You can make Rhodes caramel rolls by replacing the rolled dough with ready made packaged frozen rolls by Rhodes. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the Rhodes frozen rolls package and defrost them completely before you bake them with the caramel sauce.
What are North Dakota caramel rolls?
North Dakota caramel rolls are made using a unique caramel sauce containing heavy cream and corn syrup. If you want to make North Dakota caramel rolls, use 2 cups of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup instead of honey in our recipe. The rest of the ingredients in the caramel sauce remains unchanged.
Caramel Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the Caramel rolls
- 1 ¼ cups warm milk
- 15 grams yeast
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 egg
- 3 ½ cups plain flour
- Pinch salt
For the sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup blond sugar
- ½ cup honey
For the filling
- ⅔ cup blond sugar
- 2 Tablespoon cinnamon Optional
- 50 grams melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°
- In a bowl mix all the ingredients of the dough. (You can mix it in a mixer or it can be done by hand).
- Once everything is incorporated, let rise. It will take about one and half hour till the dough doubles in size.
- Start making the sauce by putting the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat until bubbles start to form and everything is well melted and mixed. Then remove caramel sauce from heat and place in your baking pan.
- When the dough has risen, Roll the dough out into a rectangle.
- Then, paint on top of the dough with butter, cinnamon (Optional) and blond sugar.
- Working from the long edge, roll the dough into a log, pinching the ends so it stays together.
- Using a serrated knife or dental floss, cut the dough into 12 equal buns.
- Place them one by one in the pan with the caramel sauce, and leave them rise a few minutes again.
- Then bake them for 20 to 25 minutes until has a golden color.
- As soon as we put them out of the oven, we must turn them over, so that the caramel that was below remained on top.
Notes
- To attain the right texture on caramel rolls, when you knead the dough make sure all the flour in the mixing bowl is picked up by the dough. You want your dough to be soft but not too sticky.
- Roll the dough loosely so that the center of the rolls does not puff up after baking.
- Your rolls should be about one inch thick after you cut them.
- To make the perfect caramel sauce, you want the sauce temperature to be between 220-230 degree Fahrenheit. If you have a candy thermometer you can check that way- if not, no worries. Be sure to let the sauce sit out for a minute before you pour it in the baking pan.
Nutrition
More delicious easy dessert recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, also check out our other delicious dessert recipes-
- All time favorite and healthy breakfast: Banana bread muffins
- Delicious, moist and loaded with fresh flavors: Peach bundt cake
- This fun and tasty twist on our favorite cookies: Oreo cupcakes
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