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I am building my first guitar using the StewMac dreadnought kit (I know there is a kit forum, but someone there said if I have a questions I should post here because more people check this forum)

So the kit comes with already formed braces for the back, They're already curved to the 5 degree angle that the back is supposed to be.

Now the guide said I should make a caul, that is curved exactly with the curve of the brace. But I don't really have the tools to cut wood like that.

Now with the soundboard, I forced the braces flat and glued them on - this is how the guide said to do it. And in the end it pulled back and the soundboard has a slight curve to it like it should.

I'm wondering if I can do that same thing with the back? Clamp them down to a flat surface glued to the back, after they are glued with the keep their curved shape?

Like I mentioned, this is my first project - so please stick with me if this is a monumentally stupid question

I use 1/8 inch masonite as a backing slat. I curve my back braces, place the slat under the back. It conforms to the shape of the brace perfectly, and so fulfills the requirement set forth by Stew-mac. I also carve my brace tops after gluing so I have a flat surface to clamp to, but if you are careful, you should be able to clamp your pre-shaped braces without ruining the shape. I use the wooden cam clamps and sometimes little c-clamps for the ends.
It's simple and doesn't require domes surfaces, so it might work for now unless you wanted to invest in time/money to make something else.
Here's a pic:

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Notice my caul below the curved brace - it is simple a thin piece of flexible wood - in my case a slat of maple covered in some masking tape (not sure why I covered it with tape)- it protects the sound board or back when you clamp - that's all.

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

The strength of the back wants to straighten out your braces, so you offset that with something to push a bit of a curve into the back. It doesn't have to be very formal, Ken uses 3x5 cards for similar things.

this is perfect! Thank you guys, this is exactly what I was hoping to hear