These were the signature food of Christmas morning in my childhood home. Caramelized Pecan Cinnamon Rolls are sticky, gooey, and the best mix of flavors. Plus, they are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes (which is available in truckloads around the holidays)!
1 recipe of Make-Ahead Potato Bread Dough(recipe link in the notes)
Filling:
1cupbutter,softened or melted
2cupswhite sugar
8Tbspground cinnamon
4tspvanilla extract
Caramel:
1 cupunsalted butter,melted
1cupbrown sugar
1cuphoney
1cupchopped pecans,chopped into roughly small pieces (not minced)
Other:
sewing thread(I prefer to use red thread because it is easier to find if you lose hold of it.)
Instructions
Filling:
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the filling. Set aside.
Caramel Sauce:
Mix together the melted butter, brown sugar, and honey. Divide between the four baking pans and spread evenly on the bottom of each pan. Sprinkle with the chopped pecans. Set aside.
Cinnamon Roll Assembly:
Divide the potato bread into four parts. Roll each part into a 1/4"-thick oval shape.
Spread butter on each oval. (Don't spread it too thin because this is one of the best parts of the roll!)
Sprinkle with 1 tsp of vanilla extract for each circle. Use a spoon to spread the extract evenly over the surface of the oval.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over each oval, using 1/2 cup of the cinnamon sugar for each circle.
Roll up each oval tightly, starting from the long side. Use a long piece of sewing thread to "slice" the rolled-up log of dough into cylinders. (These will be the rolls, so make them according to the size of roll that you would like to have, remembering that the rolls will rise and increase in size.)
Place each roll into the pans, leaving about one inch of space around each roll on all sides. Let rise in a warm place until doubled (about 30-40 minutes).
Bake at 400° F for 15-20 minutes or until the bread is no longer doughy. (Because of the caramel sauce, the rolls might appear slightly more like dough than they actually are. So take care not to overtake them.)
Remove from the oven. Turn upside down on top of a cutting board or plate. Scrape the remaining caramel sauce from the bottom of the pan and spread on the cinnamon rolls.