Snowflake Cinnamon Roll with Caramel Sauce

 After looking for Christmas pastry ideas, I came across this snowflake monkey bread: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/snowflake-pull-apart-monkey-bread/

It was a lot easier to make than it looks and is delicious. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp honey

2 eggs, beaten

4 Tbsp melted butter

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 beaten egg for brushing dough before baking

Filling: 

6 Tbsp softened butter

3/4 brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Caramel Glaze:

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

6 Tbsp butter

2 tsp vanilla

Start by warming the 1 cup of milk in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Add that and the 1 Tbsp of yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in the 1 Tbsp honey and stir. Let that sit for 2-3 minutes. Add the salt, beaten eggs, and melted butter. Stir that together with a wooden spoon. Add in the 3 1/2 cups of flour. Stir again with the wooden spoon and then attach your hook attachment. Let that mix for about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and let rise for about an hour, or until doubled. 

Punch the dough down and divide into four balls. Roll one of the balls into a a 10-12 inch circle. Place it on a parchment lined baking pan. (It should be a pan that has at least a small side to it.)

In a bowl, mix the filling: 6 Tbsp softened butter, 3/4 cups brown sugar, and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. This will make a paste. Divide the paste into thirds. Spread 1/3 of the paste on the first dough circle. Then roll out the next dough ball, place that on top of the paste, and then add 1/3 of the paste to the top of the second circle. Repeat with the remaining dough and paste. 

Next, I found a circle cutter that was about 2 inches in diameter. I placed that in the center of the dough. I cut the dough into fourths first. Then cut each fourth into four more triangles. You should have 16 triangles when you are done.

Take two of the triangles. Twist them away from each other for about 2 turns. Then seal the dough together at the end. Let that rise for about 20-30 minutes. Then brush with a beaten egg.

Cook at 375 for 15 minutes. Pull out the pastry, spoon and filling that is coming out of the dough back on top of the dough. Bake for another 15 minutes. 

While that is baking, make the caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, stir together the 6 Tbsp butter, 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Let that bowl for about 3-4 minutes. It will thicken slightly. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla. It will thicken even more after letting it rest for about 15 minutes. 

Spread the caramel sauce on top of the baked pastry and top with powdered sugar if desired.