Sugar Plum Sweet Rolls Food

BASIC SWEET-ROLL DOUGH

Steps:

• Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

SUGARPLUM BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water in large mixer bowl. Sprinkle in yeast. Let stand 10 minutes, then stir well.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar, melted butter or margarine, salt, lemon rind, and 2 cups flour. Beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with electric mixer. Add 2 cups more flour and eggs; beat 3 minutes. Stir in almost all remaining flour, using enough flour to make a soft dough.
• Knead dough on floured board until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover with greased waxed paper and a tea towel. Let rise in warm place 75 - 85 degrees F (25 - 30 degrees C)until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
• Punch down dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board, and knead in raisins, candied fruit, and nuts. Shape into two round loaves. Place each in a well greased, 9 inch, round cake pan. Cover with tea towel. Let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
• Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. Cool on wire racks.
• Mix together confectioners sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon onto loaves. Decorate with cherries or almonds. Alternatively, dust loaves with confectioners sugar.

SUGARPLUMS

Steps:

• Put the almonds, plums, apricots, and figs into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 20 to 25 times or until the fruit and nuts are chopped into small pieces, but before the mixture becomes a ball.
• Combine the powdered sugar, anise seeds, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, cardamom, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the nut and fruit mixture and the honey and mix using gloved hands until well combined.
• Scoop the mixture into 1/4-ounce portions and roll into balls. If serving immediately, roll in the coarse sugar and serve. If not serving immediately, put the balls on a cooling rack and leave uncovered until ready to serve. Roll in the coarse sugar prior to serving.
• The Sugarplums may be stored on the cooling rack for up to a week. After a week, store in an airtight container for up to a month.

SUGAR PLUMS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs for 1 minute. Gradually add 1 cup sugar; beat 1 minute longer or until thickened. Stir in the almonds, coconut, dates and extracts. Transfer to an ungreased 11x7-in. baking dish., Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until browned and a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from the oven; stir. Let stand for 6-8 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Roll into 1-in. balls; roll in remaining sugar. Cool completely on waxed paper. Store in an airtight container.

SUGAR PLUMS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk egg white, then roll the plums first in egg white and then the cinnamon sugar until very well coated in a sugary crust.
• Space apart in a buttered baking dish, then bake for 15 mins or until the plums are crusty, cooked through and starting to be juicy. To test, poke in a cocktail stick; if it goes in easily, they are ready.

GRAMMA'S OLD-FASHIONED CINNAMON SWEET ROLLS

Steps:

• In a liquid measuring cup, heat milk/water to "wrist-warm" (do NOT boil; just warm).
• Add yeast and 2 tablespoons of the sugar (you'll use the rest in the next step). Stir the yeast and sugar; let this "work" for about 5 or 10 minutes. You should have some bubbly, frothy stuff in the cup when you return. (If not--your yeast is no good, dump it out and get better yeast.).
• Pour yeast-milk into mixing bowl, and add remaining sugar, butter, eggs, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Using beater, mix this mess for about a minute.
• Switch to the paddle (flat beater) or a dough hook, and add remaining flour one cup-at-a-time. The dough will form a ball, and feel slightly sticky. You may not need the entire 5 1/2 cups (depends on humidity, too).
• Fill medium glass bowl with hottest tap water. If your oven can be adjusted to 100 degrees, set it to 100 degrees. Also, if your oven has a light, turn it on; place the hot water on the bottom of the oven. Close the door.
• Grease a large, glass bowl. Remove dough from mixing bowl to a floured table/counter-top; knead for 1 minute; form into a ball and place in greased bowl, turning to get grease on all sides. Cover bowl loosely with a sheet of plastic wrap.
• Turn off 100 degree oven, place bowl of dough into oven; close the door. Set the timer for 1 hour.
• Clean up the mess BUT leave floured counter-top AS IS.
• At the end of one hour the dough should've risen to about double the size. If not, let it go for another 15 minutes (set the timer--it's easy to forget---out of sight, out of mind!).
• Gather filling ingredients: 1/4 cup of melted butter; cinnamon; brown sugar; raisins and/or chopped nuts (optional).
• Punch down the down; remove from bowl; with a large butcher knife, cut dough into two equal parts. Set one aside (cover with plastic wrap).
• Grease two 13x9-inch pans with BUTTER (no substitutes are allowed -- this is GRAMMA's recipe). :-) humor me, okay?.
• On floured counter-top, lay dough and with a rolling pin, shape & roll into large rectangle, oh about 8 x 16 inches or a bit larger, keep thickness consistent throughout.
• Pour HALF of the melted butter over this, and spread with a pastry brush, right out to the edges. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon (like 1-2 tablespoons), then a handful of brown sugar, spreading it evenly with fingers; right to the edges!
• Sprinkle some raisins and chopped nuts -- if using. Keep these closer to the long side closest to you.
• HERE's THE HARD PART: Starting at the side closest to you, LOOSELY roll away from you. Loosely is the KEY word. Tuck in any runaway raisins or nuts.
• Use that big knife to divide the roll in half in the middle. Then cut each half into SIX equal portions, for a total of 12 rolls.
• Starting in the middle of the roll (nicest shaped rolls) and working to the sloppy outside roll piecs, set them along the outside edges of the buttered pan, spacing evenly in the pan. Put the two end rolls in the very center of the pan. Set the cut side DOWN (so the top looks flat-ish). Set this pan on the stove for now.
• Repeat with remaining dough; vary the ingredients -- if you skipped raisins or nuts, maybe add some to this pan of rolls.
• Check if the water in the oven is still warm, if not dump out and start with fresh hot water. Put plastic wrap on both pans (re-use the other piece), and pop in the warm oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes. Go do something productive---clean the counter-top before all that stuff gets hard! :-D.
• When the rolls have risen to the top of the pan (or a smidgen over), remove them from the oven, preheat oven to 350. When it's warm bake them for 20 minutes; tops will be golden brown.
• Cool on a rack; then frost with a cream cheese/butter cream frosting (slather it on thick like Gramma does for the grandkids!).
• You have JUST entered the Pearly Gates!