Vanilla-Bean, Pecan-Caramel Rolls

So I have been on this vanilla-bean paste kick for a while, trying to find all kinds of ways to use it.  I find its' smell and little bean seeds so comforting, and it imparts the most amazing smell in my house.  Here I took a stab at using it to make Pecan Caramel Rolls, and can I just say - YUMM.  Look at all of those pecans drenched in vanilla-caramel goodness.  These are the perfect thing to make when you are having really good friends or family over to get the morning conversation going.  These are very similar in nature to making my vanilla bean rolls, but with some different additions. 

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar or honey
5 tsp. yeast
1 cup water
2 tsp. salt
6 cups flour (possibly more)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

Pecan-Caramel Topping:
3 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
2 tbsp. light or dark corn syrup

First off, I take any recipe and I proof my yeast. What this means is that you want to make sure that what you need to help make the dough rise IS going to make the dough rise. No heating the milk in the pan, then this, then that stuff. I put my milk and honey into a glass measuring cup and place them in the microwave to get the milk warm. The reason I always put the honey in with the milk is that the yeast needs food to grow and the sugar is just that - the food. This also allows for the warming of the milk to help dissolve the honey in my mind. I take the milk out and if for some reason I have overheated the milk, I let it rest until when I stick my small finger into it - it is warm. It is ONLY at this time that I put in my yeast - generally 2 1/2 tsp equals one packet in my world. A little more, a little less isn't going to kill anyone.

I whisk the mixture together to incorporate it and I walk away for a couple minutes. A watched pot never boils. After a couple minutes when I come around again, I should have a foam beginning to build on the top of my milk mixture. This means we are ready to go on the rest. If you do not have this, you need new yeast.

My next step with anything I am making is that I put all of the ingredients MINUS the flour into the bowl. THEN I add the flour, for this recipe it is six cups - NO MORE. I place the dough hook onto my mixer and turn it on low to medium depending on what I am making. Then, I watch. You want to begin to see that the mixture is coming together. Patience here my friend, don't try to rush it along by putting it on high. Be thankful that you aren't having to do this by hand. Grab a cocktail and take a sip while you let the mixer do the work for you. After about a minute, maybe two you will see it forming together - creating a mass so to speak.

Look into the bottom of the bowl at this point and see if it is sticking. If it is, take 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour and put it in the bowl. Watch again until this flour gets incorporated fully. Look into the bottom of your bowl again for sticking, or is it coming clean? If not, add that scant amount of flour again and repeat.

Once you see that it is no longer sticking to the bottom of the bowl, let the dough hook do its' work for another minute or two then turn it off.

NOTE: The amount of flour you use today will vary from the amount of flour you use in two months, where you live or what brand you use. Getting to know this method will be the key to your success in making dough

Remove the dough hook and the bowl from the mixer. I remove the dough from the bowl and butter the inside of the bowl, then roll the dough around to get it buttered on all sides. I cover the bowl and place into an oven. I then set the oven to 200 degrees and set my timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes I turn the oven off and set the timer for one hour.

While dough is doing its' first rise, I prepare my 9X13 pans by generously buttering them.  I then mix together 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter or butter-flavored shortening, 2 tbsp. vanilla-bean paste and 2 tbsp. light or dark corn syrup.  Place into bottom of buttered pan and top with 3 cups pecan halves.  Set aside.

After that hour, I remove the dough from the cozy oven it has been rising in. I then place it onto my surface and knead it down, then cut the dough in half. I roll out each half into roughly a 16"X20" rectangle. I then slather softened butter (roughly 1/4 cup) over the surface using a silicone spatula and then spread 2 tbsp. vanilla bean paste over that followed by a mixture of 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Starting on the longer side and rolling up the shorter side, I carefull tuck the dough under and roll it over itself then pinch the end seam to seal in the vanilla goodness. I cut this roll into 12 sections and place them inside the well-buttered, prepared 9X13 pan.   I cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise for another 30-40 minutes until I am ready to bake it off.  Repeat with second half of dough. Please try it out and let me know. Front to end, this usually takes me about ten minutes of actual work time as long as I have all my ingredients laid out (mise en place) and ready to go. 

I bake them in a 350 degree, preheated oven for 30-40 minutes depending on your oven - adjust the time and/or temperature. Remove from oven and let rest in pan for ten minutes, then invert over cooling rack and let rest until warm.

Another suggestion, I always, always, always (did I say always?) use a whisk to sift my flour for any recipe. This means taking your whisk and plunging it into the flour and moving it around to lighten it and incorporate air. This means you don't over flour your recipe. You can always add more, but trying to fix a dense or heavy recipe is not easy.