Cardomom breakfast scrolls with rosewater glaze

Cardamom breakfast scrolls with rosewater glaze

These breakfast scrolls are a bit of a hybrid, the texture lying between a brioche and a sweet bun, making them both rich and featherlight. They are a tender mid-morning pick-me-up and make the perfect brunch fodder.  Unlike other breads, it is hard to go wrong with these, it doesn’t require 10 years experience working in a bakery before making a decent sour dough – these are pretty foolproof – the key being in the resting time, the rest is clockwork. The cardamom and rosewater add exotic sweetness and hint of spice, and best of all you can start these the day before, letting them rise slowly overnight in the fridge. You can even make them and freeze them for later consumption, although I do tend to fall into the camp that nothing tastes quite as good as warm and fresh from the oven.

Ingredients

Sticky bun dough

¾ cup warm milk

½ cup melted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

7g sachet of active dried yeast

pinch of salt

3 tsp freshly ground cardamom

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups plain flour

Filling

2 tbsp butter, softened

½ cup Panela sugar*

Pinch ground cardamom, or more to taste

Pinch mixed spice, or more to taste

Rosewater glaze

2 tbsp rosewater

Icing sugar

Method

Combine the milk, butter, sugar and yeast in a bowl, stir to combine and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams and bubbles on the surface. Add the salt, cardamom, vanilla and beaten egg. Gradually add the flour, adding as much as needed. The amount can vary depending on weather and the yeast you use. What you want to achieve as you are mixing is a dough that feels sticky to touch but doesn’t completely stick to your fingers. Knead for about 5 minutes in a mixer or if kneading by hand, about 10-12 minutes until it takes on a smooth appearance.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

After the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and on a lightly floured surface roll it into a large rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Spread the dough rectangle with the soft butter, then sprinkle it evenly with the sugar and spices.

Roll the rectangle up lengthwise into a long jellyroll. Slice it with a sharp knife, about 5cm thick slices, and arrange them in a 30cm baking dish or baking pan. Make sure there is some space around the buns as the dough will rise and grow. Cover and set aside in a warm place to rise, until doubled in size, about an hour. If you want these bright and early in the morning you can do this the night before, cover and place in the fridge to rise slowly overnight. If you do this make sure you let them come to room temperature before baking.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Bake the rolls until golden, between 20 – 30 minutes. While the rolls are baking, make the glaze by adding the rosewater to a bowl. Add the icing sugar slowly, whisking with a fork, until a glaze consistency is achieved.  Allow the rolls to cool slightly before drizzling over the rosewater glaze. Serve warm.

• Panela sugar is an organic cane sugar available from specialist grocers or health food stores. If unavailable substitute with brown sugar.