In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and instant yeast. Whisk together and let sit for 10 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy.

Add the remaining sugar, eggs, bread flour, butter, and salt to the bowl. Using the dough hook attachment, mix on medium speed for 6–7 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Don’t worry if it’s too sticky it will be firm up.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, perform one stretch and fold (lift one side of the dough and fold it over itself, repeating on all four sides). Cover again.

Place the covered dough in the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours overnight. This cold proof develops flavor and makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out. While the dough is rising, make the caramel sauce.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stir gently to moisten the sugar. Make sure there are no sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Stir in the light corn syrup, which helps prevent crystallization.

Place the saucepan over medium-high heat. Allow the mixture to come to a boil without stirring. The sugar will dissolve and begin to turn amber in color. This process may take around 8-10 minutes. Once it starts browning, it goes from white to burnt fast!

While the mixture is cooking, heat the cream in the microwave for 1 minute

Be careful not to let it burn; caramel can go from amber to burnt quickly. Once the caramel has reached the amber color, remove the saucepan from the heat immediately.

Slowly and carefully pour the heavy cream into the caramel while stirring constantly. The mixture will bubble up vigorously, so use caution to avoid splatters. Continue stirring until the caramel and cream are fully combined.

Stir in the unsalted butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Keep stirring until the butter has melted, and the caramel sauce is smooth and creamy.

Allow the caramel sauce to cool for a few minutes in the saucepan. Then, transfer it to a heatproof container or glass jar. Let it cool to room temperature. As it cools, it will thicken. Let it completely cool before you use it on the cinnamon rolls.

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting later. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, and unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and well combined. Set aside.

Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll the chilled dough into a large rectangle, about 12x16 inches in size. Try to keep the edges as even as possible so the rolls bake uniformly.

Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to get it all the way to the edges.

Starting with the long edge farthest from you, cut the dough into 12 even strips using a sharp pizza cutter. Each piece should be about 1⅓ inches wide. Take your time to keep the cuts straight so the rolls bake up evenly.

Working one at a time, roll each strip into a not too tight, spiral, starting from the bottom edge and rolling upward until you reach the top. As you roll, gently tuck in any filling that tries to escape and keep light, even pressure so each roll stays compact and uniform. Once rolled, pinch the end seam lightly so it stays closed.

Arrange the rolls cut-side up in the prepared pan. 3 across and 4 down. They should have a little space between them — they’ll puff and rise into each other during proofing and baking.

Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise for 60-90 minutes in a warm spot, or until puffy and nearly doubled in size.

Once the rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 375°F.

If the caramel has thickened up too much, pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Drizzle a third of it the caramel on top of the proofed cinnamon rolls.

Warm the heavy whipping cream just until it loses its chill (microwave for about 15–20 seconds). Gently pour the cream evenly over the tops of the caramel and rolls, letting it soak down into the layers.

Place the pan in the oven and bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden brown on top. These rolls take a long time to bake because they need to absorb the cream.

If the rolls begin to brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with foil during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Remove the pan from the oven and let the rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before frosting.

While the rolls are cooling making the cream cheese frosting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine softened cream cheese, softened unsalted butter, and caramel sauce. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar and milk or cream mixing until combined.

Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1–2 more minutes, until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Once the cinnamon rolls have cooled slightly, spread or pipe the buttercream evenly over the tops of the rolls.

With a spoon, drizzle the rest of the caramel sauce on top.

Serve warm or at room temperature.