If there is one thing I could ask for with my coffee is a large, hot from the oven, gooey cinnamon roll. And by gooey I mean covered in a homemade Caramel glaze. Doesn’t that just sound like the perfect morning. Okay, so maybe you should include a baked omelet and orange slice or two to make this a complete breakfast but that’s only if you are feeling guilty. These rolls aren’t just a breakfast treat. In fact, most of us along the Rocky Mountains believe our chili isn’t complete unless we have cinnamon rolls to accompany the spicy soup.
When I make these rolls I go all out. I mean double or triple the recipe. I make these only once or twice a year and I freeze a few pans for later. They only last a few months in our freezer because my husband suffers from a seasonal sweet tooth and if he find them… They don’t stay in the freezer. I personally like using the freezer trick because I can pretend they aren’t available for consumption. Plus, I like to have a waistline and my self-control with these rolls… Well, it is pretty much non-existent.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Sometimes you find recipes that are perfect the way they are but often I find there is always room for improvement. The best sweet dough recipe I have made I found several years ago online but I haven’t found it since. It was originally created by Laura Jeffreys. They taste great with a cream cheese frosting. Or better yet, if you like orange cinnamon rolls add a tablespoon of orange zest in the dough and flavor your cream cheese frosting with more zest and a table spoon of condensed orange juice. Mmm. I might have a slight crush on cinnamon rolls of all kinds
Okay back to the Dakota Caramel Rolls, I promised. The most delicious caramel glaze I’ve tested (and adapted to my own taste) is from Married to Ginger. With this glaze, I can’t say no even after eating three. Tell me what you think. Can you stop at just one?
Cinnamon Rolls from the Dakotas
A sinfully, good, gooey cinnamon roll to pair with your morning coffee.
Credit: Dough from Laura Jeffries
Caramel sauce adapted from Married to Ginger
Ingredients
- Dough ingredients
- 4 1/2 tsp Active Yeast
- 1/2 Cup warm water (let your hot water run from the tap for 1 min for about the right temperature)
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 3/4 Cup milk, warmed (do NOT scald)
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 cups flour (+/-)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Directions
- Whisk yeast and warm water in medium size bowl and set aside.
- Melt butter and warm milk in the same sauce pan on the stove. Set burner to a low setting. Stir occasionally to keep milk from sticking.
- Once butter is melted pour into electric mixer, let it cool for 2-5 minutes and then add yeast/water mixture. Combine on low using the dough or cookie attachment.
- Add sugar until mixed and then add the egg. Continue to mix on low.
- Add salt and slowly add the flour mixing a cup or two at a time.
- Once it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough 2-3 minutes in the mixer.
- Pour the olive oil into the bottle of a large clean bowl. Place dough in the bowl and roll it around, coating the outside of the ball of dough. Cover with a light tea towel and let sit for 1-2 hrs, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Combine all in sauce pan on low. Stirring until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Equally distribute into 2 9×13 inche pans.
- Lay dough out on a floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle.
- Brush dough with melted butter.
- Whisk brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Sprinkle buttered dough heavily. No dough should be showing.
- Roll tightly from one direction. Stop when the end is under the roll.
- Use a long piece of dental floss. Slide underneath and pull strings together to cut the dough. Cut every 1-2 inches. Place an inch or so apart in the pans fill with the caramel sauce.
- Set pans on top of stoe to raise to your preferred size.
- Pre-heat 350 degrees. Bake for twenty minutes. If the tops are are slightly browned they are done. Use a toothpick to make sure the dough close to the caramel is no longer doughy.
- When still warm, flip pan over onto a wooden cutting board or a baking pan. The caramel will drip down the sides, adding more deliciousness to the rolls.
Caramel topping 3 cups brown sugar 2 cups (small carton) Whipping cream (or vanilla ice cream) 2 Tspn light corn syrup (ignore if using ice cream) 1/4 cup butter 2 Tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp vanilla 3 Tbsp white sugar (ignore if using ice cream)
Cinnamon-sugar filling – 1/2 Cup of butter, melted
– 1 1/4 cup brown sugar – 1/4 cup sugar – 3 Tbsp Cinnamon – pinch of nutmeg – pinch of cloves (optional)
Whitney Buckley 