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Sweet Rolls~ Glazed, Chocolate Dipped, Sugar Sprinkled
Okay, I hear your point~ these are not doughnuts. You do have a point. But they taste delicious!
Not wanting to waste a ton of oil to fry dough in, not wanting to clean up grease splatters from the counter tops, not wanting to figure out how to get the frying oil to the correct temperature, I decided to research baked doughnuts. There are many recipes out there for baked doughnuts but none that really appealed {plus I was not wanting to cut out a doughnut shape with a hole in the middle using only a knife and cookie cutter either}.
My mind carefully imagined the taste and texture of these comforting confections. There was something oh so familiar there, something not so fried, something not so greasy. . . sweet rolls! Of course, why had I not thought of this before? I quickly began a batch of sweet rolls and thought of how to make them more like true doughnuts. The easiest way was to glaze and dip and sprinkle.
If you do not have a favorite sweet roll recipe, here is a fabulous one adapted from various bread recipes I have used as well as ideas for glazes and toppings.
Sweet Rolls
2/3 c warm water {about 110F}
1 tbsp sugar
4 tsp yeast
2 c milk at room temperature
5 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 c sugar
9 c flour
3 eggs, beaten
1. Combine warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast. Let rest for 5-10 minutes. The yeast should begin to grow leaving a large layer of foam on top of the water.
2. Combine milk, melted butter, and 3/4 cup sugar in mixing bowl with paddle attachment. Add 2 cups of flour and mix slowly to combine. Scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add water and yeast mixture. Again, mix on low to combine.
3. With mixer on low gradually add eggs to flour-yeast mixture. Beat on low for a couple of minutes to mix well.
4. Continuing to mix on low, add all but one cup of flour to mixture one cup at a time. Between each addition, scrape sides of bowl. Before adding the last cup of flour, switch paddle attachment to dough hook. Add the final cup and mix on medium for 1 minute.
5. Grease a large bowl with vegetable oil or butter. Slide dough into greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and place in a warm spot to rise for an hour.
6. After an hour of rising, use floured hands to punch down dough. Turn onto floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Divide each piece into twelve small pieces. Roll these into small balls and place in greased muffin tins. Cover and let rise in warm place for an hour.
7. Bake rolls in 350 oven for 12-15 minutes till golden. Dip cooled rolls into glaze or top as suggested or desired.
Glazing Options
Chocolate Glaze~ this is the recipe I used for dark chocolate frosting, unbelievable
Vanilla Glaze~ melt 1/3 cup butter, whisk in 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 1 tsp vanilla; dip tops of muffins and sprinkle with candies if desired
Cinnamon and Sugar~ dip top of roll in melted butter then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar; gently tap off excess
Strawberry Glaze~ blend 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1/4 cup strawberry puree, add 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar and whisk till smooth
Do you have any favorite topping ideas? Share them with us in the comments.
