Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

There are certain food combinations that will always, always remain a favourite of mine. Apples and cinnamon are just made to go together. I love cinnamon rolls and so, inspired by The Pioneer Woman, I decided to make a batch of caramel-apple cinnamon rolls. I used her cinnamon roll recipe, which you can find here, however I'll write up the ingredients list and method for those too lazy to go to another link. And I know there are some of you out there.

Just a word of warning to those of you thinking of attempting this... It's actually a very simple recipe. However, it does take a lot of time, so maybe save this for one of those days when you don't feel like going out or don't have much to do because this does require quite a lot of waiting around. So do what I did- save it for a day when there's a DVD/film you want to watch, so that you have something to entertain yourself with in between stages.

                                                These guys are made to go in cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon roll ingredients (dough):
4 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
Plenty Of Melted Butter
2 cups Sugar
Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon

Caramel Apple topping:
1 stick (about 200g) of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of cream
2 crisp apples (whatever your preference- I used Pink Ladies as they were what I had at hand)


 First, mix your milk, vegetable oil and 1 cup of sugar in a large pan and 'scald' it. Scalding means bringing it up until just before boiling. Once the mixture has reached scalding point, turn off the heat and leave it on the stove to cool- this should take about an hour. When your mixture has cooled down until it is lukewarm or warm (but not hot), sprinkle in your yeast and let it sit for a minute.

Then enlist a willing helper to sift in your 8 cups of flour so that you can take photos (see above), and stir the mixture. Cover the mix and let it rise for at least an hour.

While waiting for your dough to rise, start on your caramel topping. Melt your butter in a pan then add your brown sugar. Stir over a low heat until combined and sticky. Add your cream and let it boil for a minute, then take it off the heat. Peel and core your apples, then dice them up (as fine or chunky as you like).

After an hour, you should see that the dough has risen to almost double it's original size and has lots of lovely little air bubbles in it. Yum.

Then add in another cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir it all together and carefully turn it out onto a well floured surface. Take half the dough and shape it into a rough rectangle. Roll the dough out thin, trying to maintain the rectangle shape as much as you can.

Drizzle about 1/2 cup to 1 cup of melted butter over your rectangle of dough, followed by about a cup of sugar and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon.

 

This is wonderfully non-diet friendly. Which makes it better.

Starting at the end opposite you, carefully roll the dough towards you. Try to keep the roll fairly tight, then pinch the seam of the dough to seal it. 

  

Grease a round foil tin or cake pan with melted butter, then pour in some of your caramel sauce (enough to coat the bottom). Sprinkle on some of your diced apples. Begin cutting the rolls so that they are about an inch thick, then start laying them in your prepared pans. Repeat the process with the remaining half of your dough. Let your rolls rise for about 20-30 minutes and preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Once you've let your rolls rise in the pan, bake them in your oven for 15-18 minutes, until they have cooked and are coloured/golden brown.

Let them sit in the pan for a little bit, before turning them out onto a plate. Try not to drool upon seeing the delicious layer of caramel and apple topping the rolls...

                                                         So bad, they're good for you. Yum.

Now, go feed some grateful relatives/neighbours/friends... The rolls are lovely warm, but if they need to be kept they are really easily warmed up in the oven. Just cover them with foil and pop them in a low oven for a few minutes until they feel warm and the caramel topping has loosened up again- just remember to keep them in the cake tins until you want to eat them. 

Enjoy!