As someone who grew up in North Dakota before going to school in Arizona, there were a lot of things that were a shock for me. From living away from home for the first time, to getting used to meeting new people, everything was strange. Even with all of this new change, however, the most shocking thing to me was that most people here haven’t heard of caramel rolls. Once I found out one of my friends had never had one, it became a question that I had to ask to everyone: “Have you heard of a caramel roll before?” I was absolutely shocked when almost all of the answers were no, and then I was sad. How can all of these dear friends of mine never have had a caramel roll?
After looking into it more, I found out that caramel rolls were originally invented in North Dakota, so of course none of these Arizonians knew what it was. No one that isn’t from North Dakota cares about North Dakota! In my hometown, different restaurants and diners are known for the quality of their caramel roll, that’s how serious it is to us. I decided that this problem must be remedied, so here I am teaching you all how to make them.
In case you’ve gotten this far without yet knowing what a caramel roll is, it’s basically a cinnamon roll…but with caramel. Trust me, I know it may not sound that impressive, but imagine a warm and gooey caramel sauce in between layers of pastry…it’s starting to sound like a better deal right? If you don’t believe me that it is THAT good, and aren’t able to take a trip to N.D. just to have a caramel roll, try out this recipe for yourself so you can taste the magic.
I have tried a few different recipes in my time and would like to share with everyone one of my favorites that is relatively simple to make. I hope you will try it out!
What you will need:
DOUGH
· 1 cup warm water
· ¾ cup half and half
· ½ cup sugar
· ¼ cup melted butter
· 3 tbsp yeast
· ½ tbsp salt
· 2 large eggs
· 5-6 cups bread flour
CARAMEL SAUCE
· 1 cup packed brown sugar
· 1/3 cup butter
· ¼ cup light corn syrup
FILLING
· 6 tbsp melted butter
· 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
· 2/3 cup sugar
· 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
Instructions:
1. You need a 9x13-inch baking pan for this recipe! Spray it with non-stick spray and save it for later.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the 3 ingredients in the caramel sauce section of the ingredients to a boil, and pour into the previously prepared baking pan and set aside. Note: make sure not to overcook the sauce! Remove from heat immediately after it starts to boil, otherwise, the caramel sauce will harden when baked.
3. Time to start the dough! If you have a stand mixer, combine the water, melted butter, half and half, sugar, and yeast. Let that sit for 15 minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, do the same thing but in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the eggs and salt and combine (paddle attachment for mixer, spoon for without). Add in 5-6 cups bread flour, until the dough comes together and isn’t sticky.
5. If using a stand mixer, switch to the dough hook and knead for 10 minutes. If not using the mixer knead it by hand on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes. Let the dough sit for an additional 10 minutes.
6. While the dough sits, start on the filling. Mix your melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and cinnamon.
7. Roll out your dough into a 12x16-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
8. Spread your filling across the surface of your rolled dough so that it is evenly coated.
9. Roll up your dough into a tube, starting with the long side of your rectangle. Cut the roll into 12 even slices, and place them in your baking pan
10. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
11. After removing from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes. If you have a serving plate, flip the entire pan upside down on the plate and serve immediately. If you don’t have a large enough plate, flip the caramel rolls individually and serve (The sauce needs to be on the top).
This recipe I use is from Julie's Eats and Treats, "Stupid Easy Homemade Caramel Rolls."
This is a delicious and relatively simple recipe for a made-from-scratch pastry. I highly, highly recommend everyone tries this for themselves, as they are gooey and delicious, and definitely worth it.