Family Brunch on The Farm

This past weekend we enjoyed making a brunch to enjoy with our family. We have enjoyed making and serving many brunches in our Los Angeles home, especially when we had out of town family staying in our home or in the area. It is so nice having all of us living within 30 minutes of each other, which allows family brunch "just because!"

I decided to make caramel rolls the night before and bake them fresh in the morning. Due to our move, I wasn't able to put my hands on my regular recipe, so I went to one of my favorite go-to recipe sites at Food.com and found a stand-in recipe. They are called "Easy Overnight Ooey-Gooey Pull-Apart Caramel Rolls." That is quite a mouthful!

I didn't have my regular sized bundt pan available, so it was time to improvise. I took a decorative ceramic baking dish that was hanging on a wall and used that, after I carefully took off the decorative fabric hanger. It was wider and more shallow, so I made 1-1/2 recipes. What was I thinking!

If I hadn't started putting it together at about 11:45 pm, I might have looked and realized that it was a little too full. Actually, wayyy too full, before rising!

Because the house gets a little chilly during the night these days, I put it in the cold oven so that it wouldn't catch a draft in the night. That way, I didn't need to cover it up to keep the dough from getting a hard crust. When I opened the oven door the next morning, I could see I had a rising problem! I obviously don't make great decisions around the midnight hour!

Yes, they had risen more than I had hoped!

Due to the fact that they continue to rise when then are baking, it was time for a little improvisation! I started pinching the biggest rolls so that they went flat, which isn't something a baker likes to do! I took the one hanging over the edge on the left out and pushed it into another spot. Not that it helped much. Lets just say there was/is a "little" spillage on the bottom of the oven that someone needs to clean up!

Yes, I realize that it is a little heavy with nuts on one side. There is also a portion that didn't have any nuts due to nut allergies.

After baking them for about 23 minutes, we let them sit for about five minutes before we inverted them onto the platter. They were a big hit and were enjoyed by everyone. I took one ball of dough and took a bite with my meal to make sure they were baked all the way through. I though I might get to try a whole piece later but I waited too long and they were gone. That's actually a good thing! It is always nice when things you made are enjoyed and there is nothing left but lick marks!

Caramel rolls don't get much easier than this. If you haven't made this type of roll recipe, you really should try it. You will impress yourself! As for me, I will be busy cleaning the oven before it can be used again, due to all of the spillage and mess I created. It sure is nice having self-cleaning ovens these days. It's even better having a kitchen with two ovens, which means I can relax a little and get a good nights sleep before I start the oven cleaning.

You will find the recipe here:

Enjoy!