walnut and cinnamon scrolls (a)

when i was little and we lived in NZ and in the morning it was really cold we would rug up and go to church and when we got home, we would be placed infront of the TV and mum would pull yeast buns (cinnamon scrolls) out of the freezer and put them in the oven. soon, the whole house would have this amazing yeast and cinnamon smell wafting through it. we would then sit down to breakfast, and i would slowly unwrap the scroll, trying to make it last as long as possible.

i decided the other day that i would make some yeast buns. unfortunately i didnt have my mums recipe, but i just used a basic cinnamon scroll recipe and modified the inside a bit. i was really worried about making them, because i thought it would be a long, lengthy and difficult process. its not. they are really really easy...even my housemate amanda (who has never really baked before) made her own batch!!! - i put lots of photos in to help explain :)



Walnut and cinnamon scrolls

2 tspns yeast (dry)
1 c warm milk
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter melted
1 tspn salt
2 eggs
4 c flour (plus about 1/2 c)
1/4 c butter melted
1/2 c brown sugar
3 tspn cinnamon
1 c walnuts or pecans

Dissolve yeast in warm milk (i put it in the microwave for 1 min). Add sugar, stir well. add butter and stir well. add salt. stir. add eggs one at a time, combine well between. add flour (about 1/2 c at a time) after about 3 1/2 cups you will probably have to use your hands. The best way is to grab a handful and squish it (like play dough) through your fingers. keep adding the rest of the flour, you might need to add an extra 1/2 c.



when the dough is sticky to touch (but not sticking to your hands any more) put it on the bench and knead it. to knead, fold the dough over and press down. knead for about 5 minutes.


place the dough back in the bowl. cover with a plastic bag and place in a warm spot (somewhere sunny outside) until the dough has doubled in size (1-1/2 hrs)



Once the dough is ready, turn oven to 240 degrees. line a deep-ish baking tray with baking paper. pull dough out of the bowl, and roll out in a rectangle shape on a floured bench until its about 1.5-2 cm thick. mix cinnamon and brown sugar. use a pastry brush to spread the butter over the dough. sprinkle cinnamon mix evenly over butter. loosely crush walnuts and sprinkle evenly over the dough. tightly roll dough and slice into about 4cm slices.


Place snugly in the baking tray. Brush with a little leftover butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. leave to rise for about 5 minutes. bake in over for 15-20 minutes. cool on baking tray or eat warm straight away!!!! YUUUMMM



Tips
once completely cooled, place spare scrolls in a ziplock plastic bag and store in freezer. just defrost and reheat in oven for a yummy sunday breakfast!
use lemon, vanilla or orange essence in the dough (about 2 tspns) for a little bit of flavour :)
again, you'll notice the rice in the tin...the tin was a bit too big, so we used rice to make it a little smaller :)