Directions

1. Whisk together flour, yeast and salt in a medium-sized bowl. (Note: Use a bigger bowl than the one I used in the picture!)

2. Warm up milk in the microwave. It needs to be warm enough to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar, but cool enough not to cook the egg. (This should also ensure that it does not kill the yeast!) Add butter, sugar and egg and mix well.

3. Pour wet mix into dry and mix until just combined. Let sit 5 minutes (to allow the flour to soak up water), then turn out and knead until smooth and stretchy (~5 minutes). Set aside to relax for now (to make rolling easier).

4. To make caramel sauce, combine butter, brown sugar and milk in a saucepan over low heat. (Do not boil.) Pour into baking pan (7.5"x10.5" or similar). If you choose to add nuts, chop as finely as desired, reserve ~1/4 of the smaller bits, then sprinkle the rest into the pan.

5. Roll the dough into a rectangle, about 8" x 20". If the dough resists, give it a minute to relax, then try again.

6. Microwave butter until about half liquefied, then brush onto dough. Sprinkle cinnamon, brown sugar, and (optionally) nuts.

7. Starting with the short side, roll the dough up tightly and seal the edges. With a sharp knife or a piece of dental floss, cut the roll into 8 equal-sized pieces. Arrange in the pan on top of the caramel sauce.

8. Cover with a damp cloth and rise until doubled in size (~1-2 hours).
9. Preheat oven to 160°C. Bake until lightly browned (~12-15 minutes).

10. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a platter (or parchment paper). Let sit a few minutes, then turn over again before serving.