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    Home » Recipes » Breads and Donuts

    Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel

    Published: Jan 23, 2023 by Liz Mincin · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Who loves banoffee? If you're a fan of the caramel banana combo, these banana cinnamon rolls are for you! Super soft banana brioche dough with a dulce de leche caramel filling, topped with vanilla glaze and a brûlée banana slice. A sticky sweet banoffee brunch treat.

    Super soft banoffee cinnamon roll with vanilla glaze and bruleed banana on top.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Banana Brioche Dough
    • Rolling and the Second Proof
    • Baking and Topping
    • FAQs
    • Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel

    Ingredients

    For the Banana Brioche Dough

    • Milk - full fat milk or whole milk. Using full fat is important to the super soft enriched dough in these rolls. The milk should be warmed to 104°F (40C) in order to activate the yeast.
    • Dry active yeast - this recipe calls for one sachet, which is conventionally about 2¼ teaspoon or 7g.
    • Flour - all purpose or plain flour.
    • Bread flour - using a bit of strong white bread flour will help the gluten in the recipe and improve the quality of the dough.
    • Egg - large egg, ideally at room temperature.
    • Banana - a medium sized, fresh ripe banana. You're looking for a banana of similar ripeness to one you would use for banana bread - something easily mashable.
    • Sugar - just a teaspoon of granulated or caster sugar to help activate your yeast.
    • Brown sugar - light brown sugar, sometimes called muscovado. Measurements are firmly packed in the cups.
    • Cinnamon
    • Ginger
    • Nutmeg
    • Salt
    • Butter - unsalted butter, softened at room temperature. Cut the butter into small chunks - about ½" cubes. This will enable you to add it more evenly when the time comes!
    Ingredients for banana brioche dough.

    For the Filling

    The filling for these sticky banana cinnamon rolls is simply two ingredients:

    • Dulce de leche - or any caramel. You can buy canned caramel, such as Carnation, or make your own. I discuss the classic water bath baking method for turning sweetened evaporated milk into dulce de leche in my recipe for Banoffee Blondies.
    • Ground cinnamon - it wouldn't be a cinnamon roll without a good dose of ground cinnamon!
    Dulce de leche caramel and cinnamon for filling the rolls.

    How to Make Banana Brioche Dough

    This recipe follows a very similar process to my other overnight Brioche Cinnamon Rolls.

    You'll want to start with sprinkling your yeast over your warmed milk. Add a teaspoon of sugar, stir together and set aside for about 10 minutes until foamy.

    Meanwhile, place the flours, brown sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Give this a stir.

    When the yeast is ready, add this to the flour, immediately followed by the egg and the ripe banana. Tip: there's no need to mash the banana first - this should be soft and ripe enough that the dough hook will take care of breaking it down as the machine kneads the dough. Just break off pieces and add to the flour. If you're worried that your banana is a bit on the stiff side, you can mash this first before adding.

    Knead the dough on a low setting for 15 minutes until it is beginning to pull itself away from the sides of the bowl. Like my other brioche doughs, this will be a sticky dough and most likely won't pull itself completely clean.

    While you continue kneading, add the softened butter in bits, about a tablespoon at a time. Once this is all added to the dough, keep kneading for a further 15 minutes until it is again pulling itself from the sides of the bowl.

    Scrape into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight to proof (or about 8 hours).

    Rolling and the Second Proof

    After your dough has its first proof, remove this from the fridge and scrape out onto a well floured work surface. Press the dough into a rough rectangle and then roll out to be about 12" wide by 15" long.

    Tip: I always recommend these measurements, but they're just a guide. The width shouldn't much exceed 12" as this is will become the log that you will divide into 9 rolls. The longer you are able to roll the dough the more layers you will have in your roll. Don't roll too thin - avoid rolling thinner than ¼".

    Spread the caramel in a layer over the surface of the dough and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon. Then roll up from the bottom to the top.

    Dough rolled out into rectangle and spread with dulce de leche and cinnamon.

    Using flavorless dental floss or a thin kitchen string/wire trim the ends of the dough log (about an inch or two) to remove uneven bits. Then divide into 9 rolls. Place these in a parchment lined square baking tray and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Proof at room temperature for 2 hours, until doubled in size.

    Baking and Topping

    When nearly done the second proof, preheat your oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan). I also like to make a quick egg wash - beat an egg with a dash of milk and brush over the proofed rolls. This is entirely optional, but will give a more glossy finish.

    Bake the rolls in the centre of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes - until risen and golden. Tip: the caramel filling will make these a stickier bun than some of my other cinnamon rolls and they'll need a little extra time in oven as a result.

    Once baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare your topping.

    Vanilla Glaze and Brûlée Banana

    For these topping you'll need:

    • Powdered sugar - or icing sugar.
    • Milk
    • Vanilla extract
    • Banana - a fresh banana, sliced. This doesn't need to be as ripe as the banana in the dough and in fact would be best if its still a bit firm to hold its shape during the brûlée process.
    • Sugar - you can use either a bit of granulated sugar or brown sugar here.
    Ingredients for a vanilla glaze and bruleed bananas.

    Simply whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to form your frosting. This will be drizzled over the rolls.

    Sprinkle the slices of banana with your sugar. Then, using the broil (grill) function in your oven, broil the sugar until this begins to melt down, crystalize and darken into a burnt top - like the topping of a creme brûlée. Tip: you can also achieve the same with a kitchen torch if you have one available.

    When the rolls have cooled for about 10 minutes, drizzle the frosting over and top with your brûlée banana pieces.

    Cinnamon rolls drizzled and topped with bruleed bananas.

    FAQs

    Can I make cinnamon rolls with banana?

    Yes! This is a recipe for a banana and caramel cinnamon roll. The dough itself is a banana brioche, using a fresh ripe banana in the brioche bread dough.

    How long do banana cinnamon rolls keep?

    These banana and caramel cinnamon rolls are best eaten fresh. They are a sticky cinnamon roll with the dulce de leche filling. This means that as they cool they will shrink back on themselves more than some of the other rolls and risk developing a bit of a soggy bottom.

    That said, I've certainly eaten these leftover - a day or two after baking. To preserve as much freshness as possible, wrap in plastic wrap once cool.

    What frostings go with banana cinnamon rolls?

    Well in this recipe, I use a simple vanilla frosting and some brûlée bananas. This recipe would also work well with a cream cheese frosting, like my maple cream cheese cinnamon roll glaze used for my Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls.

    Looking for more banana treats?

    • Banana Pound Cake
    • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
    • Banana Ganache Muffins
    • Classic Large Batch Banana Bread
    Super soft banoffee cinnamon roll with vanilla glaze and bruleed banana on top.

    Banana Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel

    Liz Mincin
    Soft and sticky banana and caramel cinnamon rolls. Made with a banana brioche dough and dulce de leche caramel filling, these cinnamon rolls are the ultimate banoffee brunch treat! Topped with vanilla glaze and brûlée banana slices.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 1 hour hr
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Proofing and Assembly 10 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast, Brunch
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 9 rolls
    Calories 250 kcal

    Equipment

    • 8" square baking tray

    Ingredients
     
     

    Ingredients for Banana Brioche Dough

    • ¼ cup full fat milk or whole milk, warmed to 104°F (40C)
    • 2¼ teaspoon dry active yeast
    • 1 cup all purpose flour or plain flour
    • ¾ cup strong white bread flour
    • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 3 teaspoon brown sugar
    • 1 medium banana ripe
    • 1 large egg + 1 egg for egg wash if using (see note)
    • ½ cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature

    Ingredients for Filling

    • ½ cup dulce de leche or caramel (see note)
    • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

    Ingredients for Topping

    • ⅓ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon milk
    • 1 medium banana
    • 2 teaspoon granulated sugar or brown sugar

    Instructions
     

    Instructions for Making Banana Brioche Dough

    • Begin by sprinkling the yeast and granulated sugar over the warmed milk. Stir and set aside for 10 minutes until it has developed a foam on top. (see note)
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook, stir together the flour, bread flour, salt and brown sugar.
    • Once the yeast is active and foamy, pour this into the flour, immediately followed by the egg and the ripe banana broken into bits. (see note)
    • Knead on a low setting for about 15 minutes until the dough is beginning to pull itself away from the sides of the bowl.
    • Next add your butter bit by bit (I cut roughly ½" cubes and dollop them in about a tablespoon at a time). Once all the butter is added, continue kneading for a further 15 minutes until the dough is again pulling itself from the sides of the bowl.
    • Scrape into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator overnight (or for about 8 hours) for the slow first proof.

    Instructions for Filling and Rolling

    • When the dough has finished its first proof, remove from the refrigerator. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper.
    • Scrape the dough out of the bowl and place on a well floured work surface. Press into the shape of a rough rectangle and then roll out into a larger rectangle, about 12" wide by 15" long.
    • Spread the caramel over the dough, leaving about a half inch gap around the edges. Then sprinkle with the ground cinnamon.
    • Roll the dough from the bottom to the top to form a log.
    • Using flavorless dental floss or a fine kitchen string/wire, trim the uneven ends and then divide the dough into 9 rolls. Place these rolls in the lined baking pan, cover with a clean kitchen towel and proof for another 2 hours at room temperature until doubled in size.

    Instructions for Baking and Topping

    • Near the end of the second proof, preheat your oven to 350°F (175C/155C Fan).
    • Bake the rolls in the centre of your preheated oven for about 30 minutes until risen and golden.
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes while you prepare your toppings.
    • Slice your banana and sprinkle with sugar. Either use a kitchen torch or broil these until the sugar caramelises.
    • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Drizzle this over the rolls and finish with your brûlée banana slices.

    Notes

    This recipe calls for an extra egg for an egg wash. An egg wash is simply an egg (either whole egg or egg yolk) beaten together with a splash of milk. This can then be brushed over the rolls right before they go in the oven. It will help make them more glossy and golden, but is entirely optional and won't impact the overall bake or flavor.
    When it comes to activating the yeast, the warmth of the milk is important - too cold and the yeast won't liven up; too hot and you might risk killing the yeast. The sugar will also help to activate the yeast. If the mixture does not become foamy at this stage, it is possible that the yeast is dead and you may wish to start over, instead of risking getting too far through the stages in this overnight bread.
    Your banana should be very ripe - like a normal banana bread level of ripeness. It shouldn't need to be pre-mashed here since your dough hook will beat it and mash it plenty during the kneading. If you're worried that it's on the stiff side of ripe, you can mash this in a bowl with a form before adding to the flour.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 272mgPotassium: 177mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 376IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @waitingforblancmange or tag #waitingforblancmange!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lina

      October 06, 2023 at 11:47 am

      The brown sugar is missing from the recipe how much do we add in?

      Reply
      • Liz Mincin

        October 10, 2023 at 9:56 am

        Hi Lina, Thanks for spotting this typo!! There's not much brown sugar needed in the recipe - only about 3 teaspoons. I've updated this now to include the breakdown.

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    Image of Liz Mincin blogger and recipe developer behind Waiting for Blancmange.

    Hi, I'm Liz! I'm an American expat in the UK, with over 20 years experience baking and creating desserts. Taught tricks and tips by my mother and grandmothers, I'm sharing recipes and baking tips from my Italian American and Southern roots, along with a few British staples picked up from my time living across various regions in the UK.

    More about me →

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