Raspberry-Almond Rolls & A Flashback

I was born with baking in my blood. As I have mentioned, I come from a rural area of Iowa called the Amana Colonies. My great-grandfather immigrated from Germany and at family reunions I would hear German being spoken in the background. Later I would hear German being yelled from the kitchens of restaurants I worked in as a teen and college student. While the Amana Society Bakery is in fact owned by the society (after the colonies chose to move away from being a closed society in the 1930's the society took control of the communal property such as the farms, the woolen mills, and also the bakery), my family has managed this bakery for as long as I can remember. As a child I would go with grandpa to pull sponges (pre-fermented starter dough, consisting of flour, water, and yeast) for orders. My brothers, cousins, and I would play in the dark bakery. Flour would be in the air and made for an awesomely slick service to slide on. We would play among carts, cooling racks, and in the loading dock and try to stay out of the way while the grown-ups handled the hot bread. My mom would tell me how she used to like to play in the area with the frosting when she was little.

When I got a little older my first job was at the retail shop. A place called the Stonehearth Bakery, also owned by the society and managed by my grandpa. I didn't get to play with the pasteries, I was a retail girl. We would snatch warm cookies off the cooling racks, have fresh baked bread with locally made jelly for lunch, and have to go home and wash off the sugar, flour, and sweat that coated our bodies before going out for the night.

However, it wasn't until this last year in my 27th year of life that the baking that is in my genetic code really took hold of me. I had dabbled in making sweets, but nothing too serious. However, when I made my first yeasted recipe this last year the smell of the yeast wafting up at me suddenly brought me back to being a child as my grandpa hugged me. He always smelled like yeast. A rush of memories overtook me and I was in. So now it comes as no surprise to me that yeasted recipes are my favorites.

Raspberry-Almond Rolls adapted from bhg.com

This week's bake-a-long is around almonds. The recipe I decided to try for Raspberry-Almond Rolls has you starting your dough in a bread machine. I do not have a bread machine, so I decided to adapt this recipe a bit. Below you'll see directions to make this sans a loaded kitchen. And there is just something about the satisfaction of a wooden spoon in hand...

You'll need:
1 c. water
1 egg, beaten
2. T of margarine of butter, soft
1 package of active dry yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. almond extract
3-4 T. raspberry jam
1 (8 oz.) can almond paste (for best results the original recipe recommends you use a paste without syrup of liquid glucose)

In a large bowl mix together the first 5 ingredients (water, egg, butter, yeast, sugar) with a large wire whisk. Let this mix set for 15 minutes. Next mix in the almond extract.

Add the flour about a 1/2 cup at a time. Add additional flour if needed (you want your dough to be soft, but not so sticky it sticks to your fingers). Butter a large bowl with a lid. Place your dough in the bowl and cover with lid.

I have a trick for you! Put some towels in the dryer for 10 minutes or so. TURN OFF YOUR DRYER and nuzzle your covered bowl in the towels. DO NOT TURN THE DRYER BACK ON! This cuts your time in half (and there is the perk of seeing family and friends faces as you head down to put your bowl of dough in the dryer!). If you use the tip, it should take about 20-30 minutes for your dough to rise. I did not use my trick, as I was trying to get supper going and needed to buy some time, so it took me an hour with the bowl on my counter in my little toasty kitchen (it was 80 deg in there last night!).

Once your dough has doubled in size, punch it down a bit to get any air out. Lightly flour your counter and put your dough out. Roll your dough into a 12x10 inch rectangle.

Next spread your jam on the dough. It works best if the jam is room temperature. The original recipe called for 3 T, but I put 3-4 because you want your dough to have a thin coating, but not so much jam it will gush out when you roll it. Next crumble your almond paste into small pieces and sprinkle it over the dough.

Roll up the dough into a spiral; starting from a long side. Be sure to pull the dough in a bit as you roll so you can be sure to have a snug roll. Seal the seams.

Slice into 1 inch thick slices. The recipe said 12, but I actually got 16. Just make sure to keep them at about 1 inch.

Place rolls, cut side down , 2 inches apart on a baking sheet that is either greased or has parchment paper on it. I actually only baked off six of my rolls and put the other six in the freezer. For the ones that went to the freezer, we're all done. The night before I want to make those I'll put as many as I want on a baking pan and let them sit overnight. These will rise as they thaw out.

Some to bake                                          Some to freeze for later

For those you'll be making now (which can be all if you wish), cover these and let them rise until they are nearly double in size, about 30 minutes.

After they have risen back these in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. This will be about 18 minutes for individual rolls or 30 minutes if you put them in a roll pan. When they are golden brown you can put them on a rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Next step is the frosting. You want to make you're own. Why then, keep reading.

Powdered Sugar Icing

In a medium bowl stir together 1 cup of sifted powdered sugar, 1 T. of milk, and 1/4 t. of vanilla. If you need it runnier, add a bit of milk. Thicker? Add a bit more sugar. You want it to be of drizzling consistency,

Drizzle the frosting over the rolls and you, my dear, have an amazingly delicious treat.

Things were a bit crazy for me as I was making these and trying to make my supper. Luckily, I have an amazingly attentive helper who never leaves my side.

A few steps away keeping a "watchful" eye on my baking.