Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I got a little carried away on this one. See, my original idea was just to make regular cinnamon rolls from scratch. Not because no one on the planet has never done this, but because I haven’t. I felt pretty proud of myself. Then I thought it might be really nifty to add pecans as a salute to the upcoming holiday season. Pecans are 99% guaranteed to make almost anything better.

But see, I really wanted those pecans to be covered in sugar, preferably dripping down the side of my cinnamon rolls. A caramel sauce might do the trick, except now things were getting  little too complicated. After all, caramel can be kinda tricky to make, and I don’t always get it right, unlike some people.

Thank goodness for this recipe, which took the whole process out of my hands. All I had to do was spread a little simple frosting on the bottom of the pan along with the pecans, and voila! Caramel pecan cinnamon rolls. Oh, did I mention that this dough can be refrigerated overnight? That means that all you have to do in the morning is throw them in the oven, go back to sleep for a few minutes, and then wander into the kitchen after it smells so good you’re drooling on your pillow. Sometimes simplicity can taste soooo good.

Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

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Dough recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Dough
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approx2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

Topping
1 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt; whisk until combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. (You can also do all of this by hand if you need to, it just requires a lot of kneading by hand)

Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil & flour a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with a dampened cloth and place in a warm placec and let double in volume for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Everything Else:
Mix together the powdered sugar and cream and spread across the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish or (2) 9-inch round pans. Sprinkle with the pecans and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll the dough into a 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough.

Beginning with one of the long edges, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the frosting in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours. (you can skip the refrigeration step if you want)

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Immediately scoop the rolls out of the pan and turn over, otherwise you will have quite a time prying them out of the cooled caramel later.

Tagged as: Breakfast, Caramel, Cinnamon, Nuts, Rolls