Fruity Oat Scrolls
Sometimes, especially when the weather is miserable, I get a hankering to make something with yeast. I don’ know why yeast calls to me, but it does. And when it calls I am compelled to drop everything and bake.
Yesterday was one of those days. I was madly trying to get washing to dry, sew a Snow Queen costume, and print out a harp, an axe, and a hen that lays golden eggs (bonus points if you can guess who my boy is dressing up as for Fairy Tale day at school) when it happened… The yeast was calling me.
At first I was going to make bread, then I decided to make fruit bread, and at the last minute I changed my mind and made scrolls… because yeast and cinnamon belong together on a cold and gloomy day don’t you think?
- 1 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast
- 3 tbsp brown sugar (or honey, or sweetener of choice)
- 70 gms butter melted and cooled a little
- 2 1/2 cups of bread flour
- 1/2 cup of oat flour (or wholemeal wheat flour)
- 2/3 cups rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp bread improver (optional)
- 1 tbsp butter softened
- 1 apple, grated
- 1 cup mixed dried fruit (or dried fruit of choice)
- cinnamon sugar to sprinkle
- Add the yeast and sugar to the warm water, and set it aside for about five minutes or until it froths up a little (that way you know your yeast is alive and well).
- While the yeast is waking up mix together the flour, oat flour (just whiz some regular oats in your food processor till they are fine and flour like), oats, cinnamon and bread improver in a large bowl.
- Add the cooled melted butter to the yeast mix and stir well.
- I use our bread machine to mix, knead and do the first rise of the dough. I add the yeast mixture into the bread machine first, then the dry ingredients and set it to ‘dough’.
- You can certainly do it all by hand if you wanted, or use a mixer with a dough hook. Just make sure the mixtures is kneaded well then set it aside somewhere warm to wait for it to rise.
- After the dough has risen give it a quick knead to knock all the air out of it, then roll it into a large rectangle.
- Spread the melted butter onto the dough, scatter on the grated apple and dried fruit then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Roll up the dough starting at the long edge of your rectangle to make a large sausage. Cut the dough into 2cm thick scrolls and place into a large, well greased dish or tray with a little space around each scroll.
- Cover the dish and set it aside somewhere warm for it to rise a second time. On a cold day I turn the oven on low while rolling out the dough and then turn the oven off and pop them in to rise.
- After about an hour or so the scrolls will have doubled in size. Preheat your oven to approx 180 C (around 350F) and bake them for 30-35 minutes or until they just begin to turn golden brown on the top.
Feel free to drizzle them with lemon icing, that’s what we did. Or dust them with icing sugar or just eat them while they are still warm!
I used to think cooking with yeast was scary and difficult, but I reckon I have it down now!
Do you like cooking with yeast?
I do like cooking with yeast, and I tend to the same thing you do and let the bread machine do the mixing and do the first rise, then take it out and make cinnamon scrolls or bread rolls or whatever we fancy.
I think I might have to make some of these for breakfast tomorrow :)
I have it in my head that baking with yeast is really time consuming. But this recipe says 30 minutes! I love cinnamon rolls (what we call these in the states), and I’m going to try this tomorrow morning!
But what is bread improver? We must have another name for that, too!
It is time consuming if you add up all the waiting time, but the actual prep time is really quick and easy…. though you do need to decide well in advance so you have time to let the dough rise twice. So start in the morning, then go do something else, come back to it at lunch time, then go do something else, then you can bake it for afternoon tea.
Bread improver is a powdered gluten – you should be able to find it among the bread making items at the supermarket. It just makes your bread softer and more stretchy, but you can totally do without it.
These looks wonderful. I love that they are filled with dried fruit.