Caramelised Apple Cinnamon Rolls

FOR THE DOUGH

• 325 g (2 1/2 cup) Bread Flour, plus more for kneading 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 7 g (one sachet) instant dry yeast 
•  37 g (3tbsp) granulated sugar
• 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 egg, UK-medium sized (without shell = 52 g), at room temperature 
• 185 ml (3/4 cup + 1 tbsp)  Full Fat Milk

FOR THE CARAMELISED APPLE FILLING

• 2 Apples (Granny Smith apples🍏) peeled, cored and cut into very small chunks
• 100 g (1/2 cup) Light brown sugar
• 28 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) Double Cream/heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp salt

FOR CINNAMON FILLING

• 1 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2-3 tbsp. Unsalted butter, Softened to room temperature 

FOR VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 120 g Cream cheese, softened 
• 120 g (about 1 cup) Icing sugar/powdered sugar, sifted 
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract          

FOR TOPPING

• 4 tbsp Double cream
• 1/4 cup Salted Caramel Sauce

MAKING THE DOUGH (NO MIXER REQUIRED)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the bread flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the milk on the stovetop over medium heat then remove from heat and add in the softened butter, whisk to combine. Let it cool slightly. Once the mixture is warm to the touch or temperature of the liquid should be around 116F/47C. Now whisk in the egg.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and combine all the ingredients with the help of a wooden spoon. If it is super sticky, add flour little by little, and start with one tsp until it is not super sticky anymore. Don’t add too much flour as I didn’t add any extra flour. Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit just for 5-6 minutes.
4. After that, transfer the dough to the lightly floured work surface and grease your hands with oil before kneading. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until you have a smooth, soft, slightly sticky, glossy and very elastic dough. You can use a scraper to flip the dough upside down, to scrape it up from the work surface and to clean the surface. Stop kneading the dough when it passes the windowpane test.
5. Now transfer the dough ball to a well-oiled large bowl with enough room for the dough to rise. Grease the dough top with some oil to prevent it from drying and cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rise (First Rise) in a warm place like oven for 1 hour -1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size (depending upon how warm the environment is). You can turn on your oven just for one minute at 50C/122F before keeping the dough in the oven.
6. Grease the pan (9x9”) and line it with parchment paper.

CARAMELISED APPLE FILLING

1. First wash, peel and core the apples and cut them into very small pieces. 
2. In a non-stick saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add light brown sugar, mix it and then add warm double cream/heavy cream, cook it for 2-3 minutes then add the apple chunks and salt. At this stage, the mixture has a lot of liquid, bring it to a boil and let it cook over medium high heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. When the liquid has almost reduced and thickened (it may take 15-20 minutes), remove it from heat and let it cool before use. The filling will thicken up as it cools. If it's still runny, even after cooling, then cook for another 2-3 minutes and then let it cool again at room temperature.
3. You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for a week. Microwave it for a few seconds before use.

ASSEMBLING THE ROLLS

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down the dough gently. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough into a 12 x 16 inch rectangle (you don’t need to be too exact). You can sprinkle some flour on the dough and the rolling pin if it is difficult to roll out the dough.
2. Use an offset spatula to spread the softened butter on the dough, leaving an inch border from the long sides. Spread the caramelised apple filling and sprinkle the ground cinnamon over the filling.
3. Carefully roll the dough into a log, starting from the long side. Gently press the seam side on the top of the log, and use a little bit of water to seal the edges. Cut off the uneven ends.
4. Cut the dough log into 9 equal pieces using a piece of unflavoured dental floss (or a sharp knife). Place it underneath the log, wrap it all around the log in a criss-cross way and pull to cut a roll.
5. Place these rolls into the prepared baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and again let them rise for at least 20-30 minutes (Second Rise) or until puffy.
6. Once the rolls have risen, drizzle warm double cream over them using a spoon.
7. Bake them in a preheated fan oven at 155C/311F (for conventional oven, 175C/347F) for 23-25 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

VANILLA CREAM CHEESE FROSTING AND FINAL TOPPING

1. While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting by mixing cream cheese (softened to room temperature), icing sugar/powdered sugar (sifted) and vanilla extract. Mix them together until smooth and fluffy. Spread the frosting on top of the warm rolls using a spoon or a spatula.
2. Immediately drizzle the warm caramel sauce over the frosting and enjoy when they’re still warm. Microwave your caramel sauce for a few seconds before use.

NOTES

1. Homemade rolls are best eaten the same day they are baked and still warm when served. But you can store any leftover rolls in an airtight container for up to two days at room temperature and 4-5 days in the fridge. However, the rolls will harden a little bit in the fridge so warm them in the microwave just for a few seconds to soften them.