Salted Bourbon Caramel Apple Cinnamon Buns
Cinnamon Buns are our absolute favourite and they don’t last very long once they come out of the oven. This weeks shares featured local Ontario Apples and and we were all craving something sweet. These cinnamon buns are so fluffy and so so delicious. Filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and baked with sautéed apples and finished with a salty bourbon caramel sauce. In my recipe below, I used bread flour as I find it makes for a fluffier bun. You can definitely use all-purpose flour and they still turn out delicious. If you should happen to have leftovers, you can re-heat them in the oven and they taste freshly baked. if you prefer the traditional icing, I have shared one below as well.
Salted Bourbon Caramel Apple Cinnamon Buns
Yield: 12 servings
Materials
Dough
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp lukewarm whole milk
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 8 g pkg Quick Active Rise Yeast
- 3 1/2 cup bread flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 large egg lightly whisked
Apple Topping
- 4 medium apples skin on and 1/4 inch diced
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp old fashion brown sugar/dark
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Filling
- 1/2 cup packed Old Fashion brown sugar/Dark Brown
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
Traditional Icing
- 2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 F until warm and then turn off. Grease a large glass bowl with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and set aside. Butter a round10x10 oven safe dish and set aside.
Dough:
- In a bowl, add lukewarm milk, sugar and yeast. Gently stir with fork. Let stand for a few minutes for the yeast to foam. In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Add the butter, egg and yeast mixture and stir until it comes together. Transfer dough to a light floured work area and knead with hand or with stand mixer for 3-4 minutes or until the dough is no longer sticky and soft. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and kitchen towel. Place in warm oven for 35 -40 minutes until dough has doubled. Remove dough from oven and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 13 x17 inch rectangle.
Apple Topping:
- While your dough is rising, melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Toss in apples and cook, stirring occasionally until apples have slightly softened and caramelized, about 10-12 minutes.
Filling:
- Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and spread it all over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly from one end of the long side to the other. Cut it into 12 even pieces. Place them in the buttered dish with cut side up. Cover and place the cinnamon buns back in the oven to rise for an additional 20 minutes (with the oven off). After 20 minutes, remove and preheat oven to 350 F. Top each bun with apple topping as well as in between in the gaps. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 30-35 minutes or until golden.
Caramel Sauce:
- Place sugar and water in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat and gently stir to combine. Let mixture cook without stirring until it turns a slightly dark amber colour and remove from heat immediately. Keep an eye on it as it will burn quickly. While whisking, slowly pour the heavy cream carefully as once the cream hits the caramelized sugar, it will bubble. Whisk in butter until melted. Add vanilla, bourbon and sea salt and slowly whisk until combined. Let caramel cool slightly before serving. Caramel can be stored in a sealed glass jar and refrigerated for up to a week.. Reheat to melt
- Remove buns from oven and serve warm topped with caramel sauce.
- If you want to skip the apples or the caramel and top with the traditional icing, Whisk all icing ingredients together and drizzle on top of buns warm or when slightly cooled.
Posted in Dessert
