Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Plan ahead... lots of resting and rising for the dough...

2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water (about 110 degrees F)
1 c. milk, scalded then cooled to lukewarm
1/4 c. + 1/2 tsp. sugar, divided
3 1/2-4 c. flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted and slightly cooled, more for brushing
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

Dough rising

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with the 1/2 tsp. of sugar. Mix in the scalded milk, remaining sugar,  and about 1 1/2 c. of the flour. Mix thoroughly. Let stand about 10 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add melted butter, egg, and salt. Beat well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out on a slightly floured surface, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

While dough is resting, lightly grease a bowl. Set aside.

Knead dough until smooth, about 5-10 minutes. Place in the prepared bowl and turn over to coat both sides. Cover bowl and set in a warm place to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the rectangle in half, the short way, so it's now about 1 inch thick. Lightly roll to seal the sides together.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Rolls ready to bake

Cut the dough into rolls. There should be about 18-21 rolls, depending on how big you cut them. Place rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until double in size, about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Brush with melted butter. Serve with Cinnamon Honey Butter.

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://365daysofbaking.blogspot.com/2012/02/day-343-copycat-recipe-texas-roadhouse.html

Finnish Poppy Seed Rolls (Vehnäsämpylät)

Rolls:
1 envelope dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 - 2 1/2 c. flour
6 Tbsp. butter, softened

Filling and Glaze:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
2 tsp. poppy seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Heat the milk to lukewarm, and add to the bowl with the yeast. Mix in the sugar, salt, and the beaten egg. Stir in the flour and knead the dough until it forms a ball. Add the softened butter in bits, and knead until the butter had been absorbed and the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and 10x20 inch in size. Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter with the heavy cream and brush all over the dough. Fold the dough twice lengthwise and leave the seam underneath. Cut the dough into 2 inch pieces and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or lightly greased. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Brush the rolls with the remainder of the filling mixture and sprinkle on the poppy seeds. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool on a rack. Serve warm.

Recipe from The Best of Finnish Cooking

Caramel Sticky Rolls

Rolling out the dough

Rolls:
3 1/2-4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 tsp. regular or quick active dry yeast
1 c. very warm milk
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. butter, softened

Caramel Topping:

Dough with butter spread on

1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened


Filling:
1/4 c. granulated sugar or packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

To make the rolls:
Mix 2 c. of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast in large bowl. Add warm milk, 1/4 c. butter, and the egg. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Dough with butter and filling

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Place dough in large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap (or towel) and let rise in warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Make Caramel Topping (below). Pour into ungreased rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 in.

Make Filling (below).

Rolled dough

Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into 15 x 10 in rectangle on lightly floured surface. Spread with 2 Tbsp. butter; sprinkle with Filling. Roll rectangle up tightly, beginning at 15 inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Stretch and shape until even. Cut roll into fifteen 1 inch slices with dental floss or a sharp serrated knife. Place slightly apart in pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap (or towel) and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 350 F.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes; immediately turn upside down onto heatproof tray or serving plate. Let stand 1 minute so caramel can drizzle over rolls; remove pan. Serve warm.

Caramel Topping

To make caramel topping:
Heat brown sugar and butter to boil in medium saucepan, stirring constantly; remove from heat.

 To make filling:
Mix all ingredients.

First roll placed in pan

From Betty Crocker's Cookbook

Yummmmmm...