Easy Bread Maker Caramel Rolls

For the dough:
Add the ingredients into your bread maker in the order recommended in the manufacturer’s instructions. Mine goes like this: Egg/water on the bottom, then flour, dry milk and sugar on top, leveled out. Salt along both edges, butter cubed and pressed into the corners and yeast dumped into a small well formed in the center of the flour. Set to the dough setting at let it do its thing!

While the dough is doing its thing, grease 2 round deep dish pie plates or cake pans.

In a small bowl, stir together the corn syrup (or agave), vanilla and melted butter until well combined. Divide this mixture between the two pans, tilting to cover the bottoms evenly. Sprinkle each pan with 1/2 cup brown sugar, and then sprinkle in the pecans if you’re using them (and please do! I was out of pecans but I would never leave them out on purpose!).

When the dough is done, take it out of the machine and let it rest on a floured surface for about 10-15 minutes.

On that floured surface, roll the dough out into a large rectangle (10″x14″, or something like that). Spread the 4 tablespoons softened butter all over the rolled out surface and then sprinkle evenly with the sugar and cinnamon.

Starting on the long end closest to you, roll the dough away from you into a log. Very gently with a sharp serrated knife, cut the log into 16 equal pieces. Cut the log in half, then cut each half in half, then again and again).

Place the slices into the prepared baking dishes cut side up, with 8 rolls into each pan. Cover the pans with plastic wrap and let them sit in a draft-free place to rise for about an hour. Towards the end of your rise time, preheat oven to 350ºF.

Once the rolls have expanded in the pans so that they are all touching, remove the plastic wrap and place the pans in the preheated 350ºF oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.

Remove the pans from the oven and immediately invert them onto large platters or a sheet of parchment. (Hold the hot pan in one hand with a baking mitt, place a large plate on top and then flip quickly, all in one motion). Let the pans sit there upside down for a few minutes to make sure all the caramel and pecans fall down onto the rolls.

Remove the pans, and serve the rolls warm, with lots and lots of hot coffee!

Note: These rolls can also be frozen! Just bake as directed, then separate the rolls and cool completely on a parchment lined pan. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When you are ready for them, thaw the rolls on the counter overnight and warm them gently in a low oven or microwave on half power!

Recipe adapted from With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart.