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Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Yield Makes 12-14 rolls 1x
Prep: 120 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 2 hours 20 minutes

Light and fluffy Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls filled with caramel sauce.

Ingredients

Cinnamon rolls

  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) warm water
  • 2 and 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) milk
  • 60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
  • 490 grams (3 and 1/2 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
  • 2 large eggs, beaten

Homemade caramel

  • 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
  • 60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) sweetened condensed milk
  • Pinch of salt

Cinnamon apple filling

  • 60 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 45 grams (1/4 cup) brown sugar
  • 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup (approximately 2 medium apples), peeled and finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Make cinnamon rolls
    Set aside two 9 inch pie plates. Add warm water to a small bowl and sprinkle yeast over the top and set aside. Add sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.
  2.  Add milk and butter to a small saucepan and pop on a low heat, to warm the milk and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, remove the milk from the heat.
  3. If the milk is hot to the touch, leave to cool for a minute or two. You want the milk to be warm but you should be able to stick your finger in there without it burning. Also check that your yeast has reacted and started to bubble a little on the edges.
  4. To make the dough, add eggs and milk mixture to your sugar and salt. Slowly start to mix together using a dough hook. Add flour (one cup at a time) and cinnamon.
  5. Then add yeast mixture, water and all, and continue to mix. Mix for another few minutes until a nice soft dough forms*. Once the dough comes together, remove it from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured bench.
  6. Knead the dough by hand for 2 minutes or so until it is soft and smooth. Add a little flour to the bench if it’s a little sticky but not too much as we want the dough to be nice and light.
  7. Then bring your dough into a ball and place in a large mixing bowl that has been greased well with butter or a little vegetable oil. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for at least 1 hour – it should double in size.
  8. Make caramel
    While the dough is rising, make the caramel. Place brown sugar, butter and condensed milk in a medium saucepan and place on a low-medium heat. Stir gently until all the ingredients have combined and then turn up the heat to medium and continue to cook for a few minutes until the caramel thickens and the sugar is completely melted. Add a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.
  9. Assemble the rolls
    Gently push the air out of your dough using your fist. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead gently for a minute before rolling the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 10 x 16 inches. You don’t need to be exact.
  10. Smear softened butter all over the dough using a butter knife going right to the edges. Combine sugar and cinnamon and generously sprinkle all over the butter. Sprinkle over chopped apple. Finally, spoon over approximately 1/2 of your homemade caramel sauce over the top.
  11. Roll up your dough, from the long end, then cut into rolls using a serrated knife. Place 6-7 rolls in each pie plate, leaving space between each roll for them to rise. Loosely cover with cling wrap and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Bake rolls for approximately 18-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Spoon over the rest of the caramel while they’re warm. These rolls are best eaten on the day they are made.

Notes

*If the dough is too sticky to knead with your hands, you can add 35 grams (1/4 cup) extra plain flour. But only add it if you really need it. Too much flour will make your dough dense and dry instead of light and fluffy!

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 roll Calories: 331 Sugar: 22 g Sodium: 153.6 mg Fat: 12.5 g Carbohydrates: 49.8 g Protein: 5.8 g Cholesterol: 57.6 mg
Nutrition information is a guide only.
Author: Jessica HolmesCategory: DessertCuisine: American
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