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Old-Fashioned Caramel Rolls Recipe

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Old-Fashioned Caramel Rolls are a delightful homemade treat featuring soft, cinnamon-spiced bread rolled up and baked with a rich, buttery caramel glaze. This recipe guides you through preparing a tender yeast dough, spreading it with brown sugar and cinnamon, then baking it with a luscious caramel topping that melts into the rolls for an indulgently gooey finish. Perfect for breakfast or dessert, these classic rolls bring comforting warmth and sweetness to the table.

Ingredients

Scale

Dough

  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 8–9 cups bread flour (total)
  • 2 tbsp instant yeast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, softened)

Filling

  • 3 cups brown sugar (adjust to preference)
  • 1/3 cup cinnamon (sprinkled between 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, melted for brushing dough)

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons karo syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

Instructions

  1. Heat Milk Mixture: In a saucepan, heat the whole milk to 180 °F. Add the white granulated sugar and shortening, continuing to heat until the shortening is fully melted. Let the mixture cool slightly to avoid killing the yeast, ensuring proper dough rising.
  2. Mix Dough Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups of bread flour, instant yeast, salt, and softened butter. Mix with the warm milk mixture. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gradually add an additional 4-5 cups of bread flour, one cup at a time, until the dough is sticky but manageable—not dry or tough.
  3. First Rise: Cover the dough and leave it in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size, approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. Punch down the dough and reshape it into a ball. Let it rise again for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Roll Out Dough and Add Filling: Flour a surface and roll dough out to approximately 12-14 inches wide, 3 feet long, and 1/2 inch thick. Brush the dough evenly with melted butter. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the dough to cover it completely. Roll the dough tightly toward you to form a log, pinching the seam to seal.
  5. Slice Dough: Using a sharp knife or dental floss, cut the rolled dough into 1/2-inch slices. These will form your individual rolls.
  6. Prepare Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt together the caramel ingredients—dark brown sugar, karo syrup, and butter—stirring until smooth and well combined.
  7. Assemble Rolls: Pour the caramel sauce into the bottom of three 9×13-inch baking pans. Place 12 rolls in each pan on top of the caramel. Let the rolls rise again in the pans for about 30 minutes.
  8. Bake Rolls: Preheat your oven to 350 °F. Bake the pans for 20 minutes until the rolls are golden and fully cooked through.
  9. Cool and Serve: Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Carefully invert the pans onto a piece of tin foil or serving platter so the caramel sauce coats the rolls on top. Spoon any remaining caramel over the rolls and serve warm.

Notes

  • Be careful not to overheat the milk mixture to preserve yeast activity for proper rising.
  • You can adjust cinnamon and sugar amounts in the filling to your taste preference.
  • Using dental floss to slice the dough rolls helps keep edges clean and prevents squishing the rolls.
  • Letting the rolls rise twice ensures a tender, fluffy texture.
  • Serving the rolls warm enhances the gooey caramel experience.
  • You may substitute karo syrup with light corn syrup or honey as desired.

Keywords: Caramel Rolls, Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Rolls, Sweet Rolls, Breakfast Pastry, Old-Fashioned Recipe

Find it online: https://nataliereeve.com/old-fashioned-caramel-rolls-recipe/