C - Cranberry Pistachio Pull-apart Rolls

C is for cranberry, one of the perkiest little berries I know and love. If there is a recipe that calls for raisins, I will almost always use dried cranberries instead. And I love using fresh and frozen cranberries for tarts, jams, and baked goods.

Hubby loved these little gem studded rolls and one is quite filling. They can be made in a standard muffin tin as well but will be more likely to bubble over filling, so I prefer the jumbo muffin tins to keep them contained. They also freeze nicely and we have been enjoying them reheated with butter. Not that it isn't already a rich dough, but they are even better with more butter!

Cranberry Pistachio Pull-apart Rolls
makes 12 rolls

4.5g (1½ tsp) yeast
50g water, lukewarm

65g sugar
38g butter, softened
4g sea salt
57g milk

450g all purpose flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten

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100g (½ cup) sugar
40g (~⅓ cup) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
40g (~⅓ cup) pistachios, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon or orange zest
⅛ tsp sea salt
60g (~¼ cup) softened butter

Lemon Glaze
113g (1 cup) powdered sugar
4 tsp milk
1 tsp lemon zest

Soften the yeast in the lukewarm water for 5-10 minutes until foamy.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt, and milk and scald until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved. Cool the mixture until lukewarm, and beat in about 130g (~1 cup) of the flour. Add in the foamy yeast and the eggs and beat well.

Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead lightly until smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours. (This rich roll dough rises quite slowly, if you are short on time, bump up the yeast to 3 tsp.)

In a bowl, combine the sugar, cranberries, pistachios, salt, and lemon or orange zest.

Butter or spray a 12 cup muffin tin or two 6 cup jumbo muffin tins and set aside.

Punch down the down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a rectangle, about 12x16 inches long.

Spread the dough with the softened butter. Sprinkle the sugared cranberry mixture over the dough and lightly press in. Fold the bottom third of the dough up over the filling, then fold up again. Pinch along the seam lengthwise, to seal.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the long rectangle into 24 strips. Fold each strip in half and arrange two strip together in each cup, with cut sides facing up. Sprinkle any sugar mixture that falls out over the tops of the rolls.

Cover and let rise for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 365ºF. Bake the rolls for about 15 minutes, until golden. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for just 2 minutes, then remove to cool fully.