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| Maybe I should have used another baking dish... |
I have come to learn that the most
unfortunate, yet very common mentality a cook can have is the ‘Oh, that’ll do’
complex. Pan ungreased but you’re ready to bake on it? ‘Oh, that’ll do’ means
things stick to the bottom and clean-up is a nightmare. Can’t be bothered to
drain meat after it’s been cooked? ‘Oh, that’ll do’ means extra fat in the dish
plus perhaps even a sauce that’s not as thick as it’s supposed to be. Cookies
not cool before stacking up? ‘Oh, that’ll do’ means they’re stuck in that
stack. You get the idea.
Yesterday’s ‘Oh, that’ll do’ moment for me
came when I made a batch of cinnamon rolls. I added raspberries in with the
filling which made them roll up more loosely than usual, meaning there’s more
room to expand during rising, yet I used one baking pan for them anyway. Bad
idea. Sure, they taste good, but they’re not exactly photogenic. Instead of
rows of neatly-formed swirls, I’ve got strange asymmetric blobs that can only
be stored next to their oddly-shaped counterparts. I can see Martha Stewart’s
disappointment now.
Anyway, I’d definitely do the filling again,
though next time with a little more care to the roll itself.
Filling ingredients:
About ¾lb (350g) fresh rasberries (I bought
a pack of frozen and defrosted them, draining any excess liquid)
⅓ cup (75g) butter,
partly melted
¼ cup (55g) brown sugar
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
Method:
1. Using a bread machine or by hand, make a
basic sweet bread dough from your favourite recipe. Let it rise once until
double.
2. Punch down the dough. On a floured surface,
roll it into a rectangle. Spread the butter evenly, then sprinkle the brown
sugar on top. Add more, if desired, to get an even layer. Then, sift the
cinnamon on top of the brown sugar.
3. Neatly dot the raspberries around the
dough, making sure to reach close to the edge so each cinnamon roll on the end
has some raspberries in it.
4. Roll the dough starting from one of the
shorter ends. Keep it loose enough that you don’t squeeze the raspberries out,
and pinch the ends lightly to make sure nothing falls out.
5. Use a serrated knife to cut the roll of
dough into ¼in (.5cm) circles. Place the circles into a greased baking dish so
the ends of each do not touch each other. Use a second dish if necessary.
6. Let the dough rise again in a warm place
until nearly double. Bake in a 350F (180C) oven for 30 minutes, or until the
rolls are golden brown.
7. Let the rolls cool in the pan before
removing. Serve warm, topped with a powdered sugar glaze if desired (powdered
sugar, small amount of milk and a dash of vanilla extract).
