Airy Lace Rolls

I've seen this recipe floating around on Pinterest, posted by quite a few different websites.  I'm fairly certain that the original was posted in or near Russia by a baker named Dobraya Feya.  I tracked down the site and had it roughly translated, so I want to give her link the full credit it deserves!  I made a light spelt version of her beautiful rolls and my eldest has been begging me to make more of them.  They make a rich, brioche like dough.  Not very sweet, but very satisfying.

 Photo credit to original poster

Above is the picture from the original post and Pinterest, and they are beautifully formed. Spelt rises a bit more exuberantly so mine weren't quite so defined.

They froze nicely, but the richness of the dough means they won't last more than a day or so at room temperature.  I made a few minis in a standard muffin liner, but not actually in the tin, so they could spread a bit.I've seen this recipe floating around on Pinterest, posted by quite a few different websites.  I'm fairly certain that the original was posted in or near Russia by a baker named Dobraya Feya.  I tracked down the site and had it roughly translated, so I want to give her link the full credit it deserves!  I made a light spelt version of her beautiful rolls and my eldest has been begging me to make more of them.  They make a rich, brioche like dough.  Not very sweet, but very satisfying.

I will have to make another batch soon to keep in the freezer, because these will be nice for grabbing while heading out the door to school or whatever.  R just ate them plain, without even butter on them and was very happy.  I liked them with a little spread of butter.

Here is the original recipe with my adaptations marked in blue.  They really are lovely little rolls, the dough is easy to work with and only the shaping takes a bit of extra time.

Airy Lace Rolls

 

350 g flour (I used light spelt flour)
80 g soft butter (I used salted butter and added ¼ tsp salt since the original called for salt but did not list it)
2 egg yolks (I used 1 whole egg)
140 grams of warm milk (110g if using spelt flour)
3 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp, divided
1 packet of vanilla sugar (9g) (I used a pinch of vanilla powder and an extra 1 tbsp sugar)

10 grams of yeast (This is equivalent to 3½ tsp dry yeast which I reduced to 3 tsp)
Whole milk to glaze the rolls before baking

Powdered sugar for garnish

In a bowl, combine the milk, 1 tsp sugar, and yeast. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes to activate the yeast. In a stand mixer, combine the yeast mixture, flour, salt and egg. Combine with a spoon until the dough is raggedy and hard to stir. Add the softened butter in pieces and knead with dough hook. Knead for 10 minutes. (Only 5-7 minutes for spelt.) Cover and let rest in a warm area for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

To form the rolls:

Punch down the dough and divide in half. Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough to between 3/16" and ¼" thickness. Cut out circles of about 5cm diameter (that's about 2 inches). I found a little yogurt jar that had approximately the correct diameter, or maybe closer to 2½", and used that.

 

Line up three circles of dough, overlapping the edges slightly and pressing together.

 

Roll them up in a spiral and cut in half at the center. This will give two little rosettes to use for the rolls.

Repeat with the rest of the dough. To make single rolls, use three rosettes in standard muffin liners, spreading out the liners to provide a gentle shape and hold them together.

To make a more impressive and larger roll, use a lined brioche tin or, as I did, a lined or greased 4 to 5-inch springform or tart pan.

Let the rolls rise again, covered, until they are puffy and then lightly brush with whole milk. Bake for 15-20 minutes in 350ºF oven until light golden. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar. Or leave plain and use as impressive dinner rolls.

Either way, they are very tasty!