ANNUAL BREAD ISSUE
Wake up to Caramel Bundt Rolls
Simple, fresh rolls can start any day with a zing --
even weekdays
By TERRY J. AMAN
Features
Editor
taman@minotdailynews.com
POSTED: September 9, 2009
Mornings are busy, especially with school starting up again, and some mornings get completely out of hand. With a little planning, you can still put together a warm, sweet homemade treat along with the cold cereal and cut-up fruit.
To me, nothing says homemade like fresh caramel rolls. My mom's favorite recipe calls for a standard batch of homemade bread dough, kneaded, risen and beaten down a couple of times over the course of a few hours before rolled out, buttered and sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon, rolled up and then nipped into a dozen rolls with a length of heavy duty thread. These are placed on their side in a mixture of about a cup of whipping cream and brown sugar to taste – maybe about 3/4 cup – in a 9-by-13-inch pan, allowed to rise overnight and then baked for 25 minutes at 350 F.
That's a wonderful weekend treat, but it is not practical for most people during the week. In fact, unless you buy one of those frozen round foil things, you probably won't be making caramel rolls for your family on a hectic Tuesday morning. You can, however, combine the convenience of frozen dough with a little bit of planning ahead for a little goodness in the weekday as well.
The original version for this recipe is online at (www.cdkitchen.com). When I described it to my mom she mentioned that she'd tried something like it in the past and it works just fine, but suggested that using the whole box of pudding mix gets a little too sweet. So I tried it with half a packet. The results are, as you can see, quite beautiful, and texture-wise the sauce is a hit, especially once it cools, and the taste isn't missing a thing.
Also, I used the same stick of butter to grease the pan as I used for the sauce, figuring that it all ends up on the rolls one way or the other. I also covered the pan with tinfoil for the final five minutes of baking to avoid too dark a "crust" along the bottom.
The result pairs beautifully with fresh fruit, a light yogurt, juice and cereal for a quick and tasty breakfast or to serve as an eye-catching snack to guests for a relaxing afternoon get-together. The pull-apart presentation just adds to the fun. Enjoy!
Caramel Bundt Rolls
Preparation time: Approximately 8-1/2 hours, 10 minutes active. Serves 9 to 12.
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
18 1-ounce frozen dinner roll dough
One-half a small package butterscotch pudding mix, not instant
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Butter bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts in bottom. Arrange dinner rolls in bottom of pan and sprinkle dry pudding over rolls.
Melt butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together over low heat, stirring regularly. Pour over pudding mix. Set in cupboard overnight uncovered.
Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 F. Turn out onto a plate or serving tray, and allow to cool for five minutes.
Can be served warm or cold.
Recipe from
(www.cdkitchen.com) with input from Shirley Ethel Aman.
©2009
The Minot Daily News