Grandma's North Dakota Caramel Rolls

The caramel on these North Dakota-style rolls is creamy rather than sticky. I think you'll love them!

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Brunch, Holiday

Servings: 24 rolls

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour and yeast. Add eggs, but don't stir them in.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, sugar, salt, and butter. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds on high. The butter should be almost melted. It should feel warm, but not too hot, to the touch. (110°)
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix with a large spoon until it begins to come together.
Knead, using the kneading hook on the mixer, for about 3 minutes. It should gather around the kneading hook as a smooth ball, but still stick to the bottom of the bowl. It should stick to your finger when you touch it. If it is too wet, add a little flour. If it's too dry, add a little warm water. Continue kneading with the kneading hook until it is smooth.
Grease a large bowl with Pam. Add the ball of dough to the bowl. (It will be sticky. I use greased spatulas to scrape out the dough.) Spray the top of the dough with Pam. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave the dough in a warm place (85°) to rise for 30 minutes, until the dough is doubled in size, approximately, but not so long that it starts to fall.

When the dough starts to rise, combine the cream and brown sugar in a saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it starts to boil. Immediately remove it from heat and set it aside to cool.

After the dough has risen, divide the dough in half.
With greased hands, dump one half of the dough onto a greased countertop. (I prefer to use a greased silicone mat.) Press the dough into a 16x9 inch rectangle.
Spread the butter (from Filling Ingredients) over the rectangle of dough. Then top with cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Roll the dough up from a long side, pinching to seal.
Slice into 12 slices, and place in a greased 9x13 pan.
Repeat with the remaining dough, adding the new rolls to the same 9x13 pan. (Optionally, you can use two 9 inch cake pans).
Pour the mostly cooled (warm, not hot) caramel mixture over the top of the rolls.
Let the rolls rise for another 30 minutes, until they puff up and fill the pan.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake for 55 minutes, covering with greased foil for the last 10 minutes.(If you use cake pans, bake for 35-40 minutes.)
Flip the pan upside down onto a platter. Scrape out any caramel that sticks to the pan and spread it onto the rolls.

Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and salt and beat well until creamy. Add milk, 1 tbsp. at a time, if needed, to make a frosting consistency. If you add too much milk, add a little more powdered sugar. Serve alongside the rolls.

I prefer SAF Instant Yeast.
I make cinnamon-sugar using 1 part cinnamon and 4 parts sugar.
If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large bowl. You can knead the dough by hand: Grease your hands with Pam cooking spray. Stir the dough as much as you can with a large spoon. Grab the edge of the dough with your hand and fold it over the top of the dough. Press with the heel of your hand. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Continue for 5 minutes until the dough is a smooth ball. Grease your hands as needed. If the dough is too sticky to knead, add a little more flour. Try not to add too much. If the dough is too dry, add warm water.
The best location in my house to rise the dough is my in oven, preheated (350) for JUST ONE MINUTE, and then turned off. DON"T FORGET to turn off the oven before you put the dough in! (I set a 1 minute timer.)
After the rolls are shaped and placed in the pan, I often let them rise overnight in the refrigerator and bake them the next morning.
Place a baking sheet under your pan of rolls to protect your oven from dripping caramel.