Sweet Rolls

Win’s Sweet Rolls

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Another winner from Winnifred Jardine if you don’t have time to make 12-Hour Butterhorns).  Makes Sticky Orange Buns and fast-rising rolls, too. I’ve adapted it by adding more liquid to the recipe because I like them a little lighter.

1 TBL dry yeast
½ C warm water + pinch of sugar
¾ C sugar
1 ½ C milk, scalded
1 ¼ C cold water

1 TBL salt
2 C warm water
3 eggs, beaten
½ C melted butter or oil
8-10 C flour, stirred and measured

1.    Soften yeast in ½-cup warm water to which sugar has been added.

2. In large bowl, or electric mixer with dough hook, stir together HALF the flour and the salt. 
3. Scald milk in saucepan. Add cold water to that.
4. To the mixer bowl of flour and salt: add yeast mixture, eggs and butter in that order. Stir until well mixed, adding more flour, cup by cup, to make soft, tacky dough. Avoid adding too much flour. Beat well for 3 to 4 minutes in mixer or 8 minutes or so by hand.
5. Cover; allow to rise in warm place until double—about 1 hour. Turn out onto heavily floured board. Knead a few times to make the dough easy to handle. 

Filling

Mix all but nuts and raisins: Want them less sweet? Use the lesser amount of sugar.

½ C butter, melted

1 to 1 ½ C brown sugar, packed

2 to 4 TBL cinnamon

½ tsp flour

walnuts (optional)

raisins (optional)

1.     Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix filling ingredients (except nuts and raisins) to make a paste. Roll out dough into a rectangle approximately 10x16 inches; dough should be about ½-inch thick. (Divide dough in 2 for smaller rolls—still roll out to 10x16 rectangles).

2.     Crumble the filling over dough. If using walnuts and raisins, sprinkle them on now. Roll up with the long way facing you, so that you have a long cylinder. Pinch edges closed.

3.     Using dental floss to cut each sweet roll, slide floss under about 1 inch from end, bring up ends of floss above the dough and cross over. Pull each end of floss and it will cut through the dough without smashing it like a knife would. Continue cutting 1-inch sections.  

4.     Place cut side down onto greased pan 2 inches apart, 6 rolls to a pan. Let rise, covered, 20 minutes. Bake 10-15 min, or until pale golden brown.  Let cool slightly and while still warm, ice with sugar icing*.

Powdered sugar icing

2 TBL melted butter, 2 C powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla.  In large glass bowl, melt butter in microwave, then stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Add a little milk if necessary.

Variations:

Sticky orange buns:  same as sweet rolls, but different filling. Cream together 1/2 C butter with 1/2 C sugar and grated rind of 1 organic orange.

Fast-rising rolls: pinch off smooth round pieces about egg size; arrange 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Cover lightly with clean towel; allow to rise 20 minutes. Bake 10 min. at 400º till golden brown. Makes 3 dozen.