Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Attempt

There is a problem I have with this recipe...it doesn't currently exist. I sort of made it up as I went along, but figured I should make an attempt to get it in writing. So, I'm going to piece it together the best I can.

For the bread, I used my favorite Basic Roll Dough:
3 - 3 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 pkg or T of dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
3 T butter (melted)
1 egg

In large mixing bow, combine 1 cup of the flour with dry yeast, salt, and sugar. Heat milk and butter until very warm (I don't have a temperature...I just dip my *clean* finger in it and as long as it doesn't make me cry in pain, it's usually pretty good); add to the flour mixture along with the egg. Beat two minutes. By hand (until I moved home I did this all by hand, but this time I borrowed mom's bread machine and let it do the mixing/kneading for me...heaven!!), stir in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in size - approximately 1 hour.

Turn out onto a floured surface. Toss to coat well with flour. Knead a few times or until no longer sticky. Make into rolls or whatever (seriously...that's what it says on my recipe card).

Place on a greased baking sheet. Let rise about 30 minutes and bake 15-20 minutes in a hot, 400 degree oven. (For this recipe, I baked it at 350 degrees, so if you cook it hotter, just keep an eye on it).

For the Caramel Sauce (can someone please explain to me why "carmel" isn't recognize by my spell checker - I don't actually say "caramel", but I just can't handle the red squiggly line telling me I spelled it incorrectly):
I didn't measure anything...just sort of played with it until it was what I wanted. It was a combination of butter, brown sugar, cream cheese (just a little bit), heavy cream, and vanilla. I boiled it until it was at soft ball stage or there about. Set aside - or you can go ahead and just put a layer of caramel in the bottom of your baking pan - I used a 9x13 dish.

For the Apples:
I used three Granny Smith apples, sliced thin. In a frying pan, I put a little butter in the bottom and melted it - to that, I added all of the apples. I then sprinkled them with a some cinnamon and added just a bit of brown sugar. Again, no measurements. (As I type this, I realize what a miracle it is that these even turned out!!) I let these cool before I used them in the dough. It also let some of the water from the apples escape so I could drain them before they went in. Keep in mind that if they're too wet, your rolls will get VERY soggy, and no one wants that. Cook the apples until they are tender - but not mushy. They should old their shape but should wiggle if you picked it up.

Time to assemble! If you haven't already done it, put your caramel sauce in your baking dish. Use as little or as much as you want. Roll your dough out in a rectangle (or as close as you can get to it...I still don't know what shape I had!) on a lightly floured surface. Spread a little butter (don't go crazy...please...just enough so your sugar will stick) on the dough. Sprinkle a little brown sugar to cover the dough (again...use some moderation here - you don't want these to be too sweet). Then, sprinkle with just a bit of cinnamon. Now to the fun part! Take your apples and arrange them on your dough. Remember, you're going to be rolling and then cutting these, so you may want to lay them the direction you'll be rolling the dough. 

Once you're satisfied that you have enough apples, roll your dough as you normally would for cinnamon rolls.   Cut into approximately 1-inch sliced and lay directly into caramel layer. Your caramel should be cool so your dough will rest and rise equally before baking. I let mine rise until all of the rolls were touching - probably about 30 mins or so. Place into hot oven and bake until golden brown - about 20 - 30 mins. Once they're done baking, flip the pan over and dump the rolls onto a tray, serving dish, or plate...whatever you've got. 

Grab a glass of milk, a napkin, and a fork (it's too hot to touch and the caramel will scald you...be careful!!). Dish one up for yourself and if you feel so inclined, for the person sitting next to you.

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