Instructions

Preparing the Dough

1. In a glass measuring cup, microwave the milk in 20 second increments until you have warm milk (between 105-110 degrees.) Add the active dry yeast and stir. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes for the yeast to activate. You will know that it is ready to use as there will be little bubbles rising to the top. IF there are no bubbles, you will want to start over as the yeast has been killed and you will not get your dough to rise without active yeast.
2. Add eggs and granulated sugar directly to the measuring cup and whisk it all together.
3. Add flour, kosher salt and wet ingredients to your mixing bowl and mix on low for about a minute. Make sure you scrape down the sides to incorporate all ingredients.
4. Slowly add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time, continuing to mix on low between each addition and making sure each addition is thoroughly incorporated before adding more.
5. Continue to mix on medium-low for five minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, and sticky. The dough will climb up the dough hook, but it will still stick to the bowl and be very wet.
6. Spray a large bowl with non-stick baking spray and cover with seran wrap. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

Preparing the Caramel Sauce

1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the brown sugar and whisk together until incorporated and remove from heat.
2. Add whipping cream, honey, and water. Whisk together until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. Pour the caramel into the 9×13 pan, scraping down the sides of the pan to include all of the sauce. Use a spoon to run the sauce along the sides of the pan. The caramel sauce is “greasing” the pan so make sure that you cover the sides well.
4. Preparing the cinnamon mixture.
5. In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Roll out the dough

1. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Scatter flour on your work surface to prevent the dough from sticking. Knead the dough about 5-6 times.
2. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a rectangle about 12″x18″. It should be approximately 1/4″ thick.
3. Spread the cinnamon mixture into an even layer on the top of the dough.
4. Roll up the dough, starting on the long side, making sure to roll the dough as consistently as possible.
5. Use a long, sharp knife, trim off the uneven portions of each end of the roll. Be sure to flour the edges of the knife to prevent the dough from sticking to the knife. Then, make a cut in the middle to make two equal halves, and then halve each side again. Cut each of the four pieces into three equal sized pieces. You will end up with 12 rolled pieces.
6. If the dough becomes too soft it will be hard to cut cleanly. Place the dough roll on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes. That should allow the dough to firm up enough to cut cleanly.
7. Place each roll directly into the caramel sauce on the bottom of the pan. Be sure to spread out the dough to allow space for the dough to rise.
8. Spray non-stick spray onto saran wrap and cover the rolls. Do not use a tea towel

Overnight instructions

At this point, if you are wanting to bake the rolls in the morning, you will need to stop here and refrigerate (covered) overnight. In the morning, you will proceed on through the instructions. You will not need to add any additional time to the rise or bake.

Rising the dough

1. While bringing water to a boil in a saucepan, Place an empty 9×13 pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees, after three minutes turn off the oven.
2. Make sure that the oven is not too hot. You want the oven to be warm, not hot. If it is too hot, open the door for a bit to cool it down. You should be able to touch the rack without getting burned.
3. Pour the boiling water into the empty pan in the oven, and place the rolls in the oven with the saran wrap on.
4. Allow the dough to rise in the oven for 45 minutes. Do not open the door at all during this time as the steam is helping the dough proof quickly.
5. After 45 minutes, remove the rolls, and the water pan from the oven and preheat the oven. At this point the rolls should have doubled in size and be puffy.
6. When the oven is finished preheating, remove the saran wrap and place the pan back in the oven for about 35-45 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, cover the rolls with tinfoil until finished baking.
7. When fully baked, thee rolls should be a dark golden brown, and when using a thermometer, the inside temperature should be 190 degrees Farenheight.
8. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes to cool before serving.
9. To serve, you can either take out each roll individually and place it on a plate with the caramel sauce on the top. Or, you can invert the entire pan onto a platter for serving.