Ingredients:
900g strong white strong flour – sieved
75g dried cranberries
2 tsp dried fast acting yeast
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp caster sugar
300ml hot milk and 300ml hot water mixed together
The Filling:
50g butter, softened
100g light brown sugar
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
75g pecan nuts – roughly chopped
300g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp maple syrup
Boiling water
Baking parchment
Directions
1.) Pour the flour, cranberries, yeast, salt and sugar into a mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the hot milk and water until fully incorporated and continue to mix for five minutes.
2.) Remove the dough hook, cover the dough and leave in a warm place for 1 ½ hours until doubled in size. (if you dont’ have a mixer….pour all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add the liquid and used your hands to mix it well.
3.) Transfer to a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes…then return to a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise for 1 ½ hours as above).
4.) After this time, return the bowl and dough to your mixer and knead with the dough hook for a further 4-5 minutes. (Or once again knock back and knead on a floured surface).
5.) Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is a square measuring approx 60x60cm. Spread the butter all over the top, right to the edges.
6.) Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the butter, again making sure you reach the edges. Now sprinkle over the pecans.
7.) Roll the dough into a sausage shape from the longest edge, nice and even and keeping the sausage tight. Now slice the sausage into sixteen even pieces.
8.) Place the baking parchments onto a 2.5 cm deep, approx 30×35 cm sized baking tray.
9.) Turn the rolls over so the swirl is facing up and place all 16 together with a small space between them, onto the parchment.
10.) Cover loosely with another piece of parchment and then place in the fridge over night (Christmas Eve).
11.) On Christmas Day, take your rolls out of the fridge and put in a warm place for ½ hour to get up to room temperature and prove.
12.) Now place into the oven 200°C (180°C fan) oven / gas mark 6 for 12-15 minutes or until the rolls are all puffed up and golden brown. You can make the icing the day before too…or whilst the rolls are in the oven.
It take minutes.
Sieve the icing sugar, add the maple syrup and vanilla essence, then enough boiling water to make it a nice thick, yet spoonable icing.
Dollop the icing onto the hot rolls as soon as they are out of the oven.
