Caramel Cinnamon Buns
These cinnamon rolls bake in a bath of caramel sauce that oozes all over them. The caramel sauce makes them sticky, gooey, and oh, so delicious. You're going to need a fork to eat these!The recipe has a rich buttery dough, with a soft, tender texture similar to what you’d find in a classic brioche dough, but without the extra steps. I used an easy, non-traditional method where all the ingredients, including the butter, get mixed together at once. It’s a simpler process that delivers amazingly decadent results!You can mix the dough by hand, with a mixer, or with a bread maker.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
Tender Buns
- 1 cup warm milk (227 grams)
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- 2-¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
- 3-½ cups bread flour (420 grams)
- 1-¼ to 2 cups all-purpose flour (150 to 240 grams)
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed (110 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup butter, softened (4 ounces; 113 grams)
- 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
Sticky Gooey Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup (4 oz or 113 g butter)
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (220 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- ⅓ cup corn syrup (113 grams)
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cream (170 grams)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Tender Dough:
- You can mix the dough by hand, with a stand mixer, or in a bread machine: Combine the milk, eggs, butter, sugar, salt, and instant yeast. The butter will look clumpy and the mixing method may seem a bit different but it works.
- Add the bread flour and 1-¼ cups of the all-purpose flour. Mix by hand or with the stand mixer or bread machine. If you are using a bread machine turn the machine to dough setting. You may need to help the ingredients blend together in the first minute of mixing by stirring the edges with a spatula.
- If the dough is too sticky, gradually add the rest of the all-purpose flour. Continue to knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth. (See the video to see the texture of the dough).
- Place the dough in an oiled boil. Cover and let rise for 1 to 2 hours. It will get puffy and almost double in size.
- While the dough is mixing and proofing, make the cinnamon filling and sticky caramel sauce below. Set them aside until ready to use.
Cinnamon Filling
- Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and cinnamon together until they form a paste. Set aside at room temperature until the dough is ready to roll out.
Sticky Caramel Sauce
- In a large saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, water, salt, and cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla extract and pour into a 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Set aside until the cinnamon rolls are ready to be placed on the sauce. The sauce will thicken as it cools down.
Make the Rolls and Bake them:
- Place the dough on a clean, floured work surface. Roll the dough out to a 16 by 24-inch rectangle.
- Spread the cinnamon roll filling over the dough.
- Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a 24-inch long log.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the log into 12 slices. If you do not have a very sharp knife then you can use dental floss or thread to wrap around the log then pull the ends to cut the roll without squishing it.
- Place the rolls on top of the caramel sauce in the pan then cover loosely with a dish towel and let sit in a warm place for an hour until almost doubled in size.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Uncover the rolls and bake for 22 to 28 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow the rolls to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes then run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the rolls from the edge. Invert the pan onto a platter so the sticky gooey sauce is on top, be certain the pan is not too hot when you do this or the caramel sauce will burn you. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
The baking time will vary depending on how packed the rolls are when you put them in the baking pan. If the rolls are packed in tight, it will take longer for the centers to bake.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 221mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g
