Irresistible Overnight Caramel Rolls + Video

Irresistibly soft and fluffy overnight caramel rolls, soaked in luscious butterscotch sauce. The best way to start the weekend!

{scroll down for video tutorial}

There’s absolutely no better way to start a weekend than having this irresistibly soft and sweet caramel rolls waiting to be baked as you roll out of the bed.

These super fluffy rolls are baked IN the caramel sauce, soaking up all the goodness. And that’s not all, you can reserve some to serve on the side too, because you’ll have more than enough sauce. Wait, no, there’s never enough sauce, but you know what I mean.

Speaking of caramel sauce… Did you notice it’s not just another caramel sauce? It’s butterscotch caramel sauce, my friend. And is there a difference, you wonder? Yes, a tiny, but noticeable difference. Unlike regular caramel sauce, butterscotch caramel sauce is made with brown sugar and butter. But for these caramel rolls, I actually don’t add butter, because you won’t miss it. This butterscotch caramel sauce still has that lusciousness and fabulous balance of sweet and salty with a punch of vanilla.

Terrified of yeast dough?

Let me assure you, there’s absolutely nothing to fear. It’s just yeast, that thrives in a warm environment with a little bit of sugar and lots of love. Give the dough this 3 things and you’re good to go, I promise.

QUICK TIP:

Remember I said yeast dough loves a warm environment? Well, here’s how I accommodate that. I microwave a tall glass of water for 2 minutes to create steamy hot environment, and then I put the bowl with dough in it. No, we don’t turn on the microwave, we’re just using it as an insulated box. My yeast-y dough loves it! Give it a try.

And once the dough is nice and tall, punch it down, roll it out, fill it and roll it into a log. Arrange the rolls in the bath of caramel sauce and refrigerate till morning. And try to have a good night! 🙂 Because it’s hard to sleep when you know that caramel rolls are waiting for you. (Or is that just me?)

And just as soon as sun peeks over the horizon, you’ll be up. It’s finally time to BAKE the sweet rolls! Imagine how sweet aroma of freshly baked rolls fill your kitchen as you sip on your cup of coffee by the oven, waiting patiently to dig in. If that’s not a perfect start of the weekend, I don’t know what is!

Enjoy!

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Caramel Rolls

Irresistibly soft and fluffy overnight caramel rolls, soaked in luscious butterscotch sauce. The best way to start the weekend!

Yield: 20 rolls

Ingredients:

For dough:

• 1 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
• ¼ cup (60ml) warm water
• 1 cup (240ml) milk
• 4 cups (500gr) all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

For Butterscotch Caramel Sauce:

• 1 cup (200gr) packed brown sugar (either light or dark)
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (or table salt)
• ½ cup pecans halves

For Filling:

• 2 tablespoons (30gr) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup (50gr) sugar
• ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. To make the dough, sprinkle the yeast over warm water and let it stand for 10 min. (Make sure the water isn’t too hot, or it’ll kill the yeast. And if the water is too cool, it won’t activate the yeast.) The mixture should bubble up, which a sign that yeast is alive. And that’s a good thing!
2. Warm the milk in the microwave for about 30 seconds, just until it’s tepid.
3. In a mixing bowl with dough hook attachment, mix together flour, yeast mixture, milk, egg, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder and salt until everything is incorporated. Take the dough onto a flat surface dusted with a bit of flour and knead for a few minutes.
4. Transfer the dough into large oiled bowl and cover it with wet towel. Put it in warm place for an hour to rise. I put it in a microwave with glass of hot water. (Don’t turn on the microwave.)
5. Meanwhile, prepare the butterscotch caramel sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream and brown sugar. Bring it to simmer over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar is melted, continue to cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Add vanilla extract and salt. Taste and make sure you’re happy with the flavor. Add more vanilla extract or salt, if needed. Cool slightly.
6. Coarsely chop the pecans.
7. Pour half of the caramel sauce into 9×13 baking pan and spread the chopped pecans. Reserve the other half of caramel sauce to serve on the side.
8. In a small dish, combine sugar and cinnamon for filling.
9. Once the dough is doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out into a 15×20 rectangle.
10. Pour melted butter all over the dough, and evenly sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture.
11. Roll up the dough into a log, and cut into 20 1-inch rolls.
12. Arrange the rolls in the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan with a foil and let it rise for 30-60 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.
13. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Take the rolls out of refrigerator and place in warm place for about 30 minute. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.
14. As soon as you take the rolls out, cover it with flat cookie sheet and flip it over. (Be very careful as the baking pan is heavy and hot!!!) Let the baking dish sit over the rolls for couple minutes, so that caramel gets soaked into the rolls. Then remove the pan and serve with reserved caramel sauce. If needed, microwave the sauce until pourable.

All images and text ©Shinee D. for Sweet & Savory by Shinee

All photographs and content on Sweet & Savory by Shinee is copyright protected, unless otherwise noted. Please do not use any of my photos without my authorization. If you would like to share my recipe, you may re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the full directions. Thank you for your cooperation!

This recipe was originally published on January 23rd, 2013.