Caramel Apple Sticky Buns

This is the same cinnamon roll dough you've seen several times recently around here. Just updated for the season with a caramel apple topping. I found the inspiration for this on Pioneer Woman Cooks. To achieve such sweet sticky goodness, you fill the bottom of your baking pan with a quick homemade caramel sauce. Then you sprinkle it with diced apple and arrange the rolls above. After a second rise, the rolls are baked and come out of the oven golden brown on top with caramel bubbling up from below. Next the entire pan is inverted onto a serving platter so that the caramel seeps into every crack and coats ever corner of these pillowy rolls. They're unbelievable served warm with their chewy bits of apple and oozing caramel sauce.

INGREDIENTS
Dough:
3-4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg, whisked
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. warm milk

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
ground cinnamon

Caramel Apple Topping:
1/2 cup salted butter (if using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. honey (probably unnecessary, I used it to replace corn syrup)
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine. Pour in wet ingredients (butter, eggs, and milk). Stir until it is a thick paste. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it comes together into a ball.

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured flat surface, and knead the dough, adding more flour to prevent sticking, 8-10 minutes, until smooth. Spray the inside of a bowl with cooking spray, place the dough inside, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

3. To prepare the caramel sauce, combine the butter, sugar, honey, heavy cream, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a few seconds before removing from the heat. Set aside to cool. 

4. Punch down the dough. Roll out into a large rectangle. Brush melted butter over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up lengthwise. Cut into 12 evenly sized pinwheels. Pour the prepared caramel sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the diced apple over the caramel sauce. Arrange the 12 rolls evenly spaced on top of the caramel and apples. Cover the pan and let rise until the rolls have doubled in size, about 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake rolls, covered for the first 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until golden on top (approx. another 5-10 minutes). Remove from the oven and invert onto a large baking sheet or serving tray. Let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 12 rolls.

(Caramel Apple Topping adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks)