Raspberry Rolls

Last week, when Dan and I were at the grocery store picking up a few essentials, he stopped at the Entenmann’s display and went straight for the Raspberry Danish Twist. He almost set it in the cart, but paused, looked at me, and said, “Unless you want to make something...”  I obviously accepted his challenge and immediately started thinking of a delicious raspberry flavored breakfast treat.

My first thought was to make this pastry dough from Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess and featured a few times on Alexandra’s Kitchen (one of my favorite blogs for delicious recipes and gorgeous photography). But as Alexandra learned, this is overnight dough – and I wanted to whip up a treat that would be ready for breakfast first thing the next morning. While she offered some tips to speed up the process, I didn't want to rush it and decided to save it for another day.

In the end, I decided that sweet rolls would be simple and delicious with raspberry. I found a recipe for cinnamon rolls in Baking Illustrated, and substituted the cinnamon and brown sugar filling for butter and raspberry preserves. A few short hours later, I had a dish of hot, golden brown rolls and a kitchen that smelled of raspberries. With a simple powdered sugar icing, these were perfect for a sweet breakfast and received rave reviews from Dan and his dad. These would be great for a brunch spread or to please hungry house guests!

Raspberry Rolls

Makes one dozen rolls

Dough:

½ cup milk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

2¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) instant yeast

¼ cup (1¾ ounces) sugar

1 large egg plus 2 large eggs yolks

1½ teaspoons salt

4 – 4½ cups (20 to 21¼ ounces) unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

Filling:

4 tablespoons (½  stick) butter, melted and cooled

8 ounces (1 cup) raspberry preserves

Icing:

2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar

2 – 4 tablespoons milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

For the dough: Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until the butter melts. Set this mixture aside until it is lukewarm.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the water, yeast, sugar, eggs and egg yolks until well mixed. Add the salt, warm milk mixture, and 2 cups of the flour and mix at medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook, add another 2 cups of flour, and mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, adding up to ¼ cup more flour a tablespoon at a time, if needed (I did not need any extra flour).

Scrape the dough onto a well floured surface and knead by hand a few times to shape the dough into a smooth ball. Place the ball into a lightly oiled, large glass bowl. Cover the bowl (with plastic wrap, parchment paper or a tea towel) and place it in a warm, draft-free spot until the dough is doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours. (I used the bread proof setting on my oven, which sets it for 100 degrees, and the dough only took about an hour to rise. If you use the oven, don’t use plastic wrap to cover the bowl).

Grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with butter and set aside. After the dough has doubled in size, press it down and turn it onto a well floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12 by 16 inch rectangle with the longer side facing you. Spread the melted and cooled butter evenly onto the dough, leaving a half inch border at the far edge. Then spread the raspberry preserves evenly onto the buttered dough.

Beginning with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough tightly, pinching the dough with your fingertips as you roll. When you reach the far edge of the dough, pinch the end to the rolled up dough to create a seal.

Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces using a sharp knife or pastry cutter. Place the rolls cut site up in the greased baking dish. Cover the dish and place in a warm, draft-free spot until the rolls have doubled in volume, 1 to 2 hours. (Again, I used my oven’s bread proof setting and this rise took about an hour.)

When the dough is nearly doubled in size, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (removing the rolls, if that is where they are proofing). Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While the rolls cool, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla until smooth. If needed, drizzle in the extra milk to create a smooth, spreadable consistency. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.

Extra rolls can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for a day or two.

(Recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated)