Rosemary and Ginger Roasted Fruit Rolls

Baking is therapeutic for me. Along with the calm feeling instilled by the warmth of the oven and the wonderfully smelling home, there arises within me a tiny bit of triumph with every success, a little smile and a small pat on the back.

I never use to bake more than an occasional cake, and that too the same repeated recipe. There was no place to go wrong. But certain things changed once I started blogging. I entered this world of beauty; stories of success and failures, tales of encouragement and the friendly nudge and reminder not to ever give up. I gradually absorbed that mistakes and super flops are only a part of this journey, only to do better the next time. It was not just me who was afraid to see a “flat” cake or a rock hard bread come out of the oven.





And I moved ahead, little bitty steps at a time, with beating heart and a breath trying to come out with a gasp. First a few cakes, and scones and then one day I picked myself up and got the yeast; yes the tiny living things which I seriously dreaded. “The water had to be the right temperature or the yeast will be killed”– I remembered the mantra. I also dipped my finger in the cup of water testing it a few hundred times and  I peeked every few seconds to see if they were alive and rising. They did, and it calmed my fears. The first bread happened too! And a lot more came after that.

Thanks to this wonderful food community that inspires, supports, encourages and appreciates! I owe it all to you. My fears have been replaced with an excitement now even if I know I am treading unknown grounds and things might not happen as pretty as I envision them.





I’m still a novice, but for my own records, I have come a long way and am satisfied with what I have accomplished. There is so much more to explore and some I have dared not, yet. But I will some day.
And here I will mingle with by friends who gave me so much and helped me overcome my fears – Meeta’s Mingle is the Yeasted Dough this time, hosted by dear Kulsum.

Well, these rolls were  fantastic. I had been away for long and even longer since I seriously baked anything. The children already started school after a very fruitful holiday this year and the first day I got to myself, I pulled out the flour and the yeast with no plans on whatever I was going to do, but I just had to do something I never made before just to enjoy my time alone. The inspiration for the fruity rolls came from my love for cinnamon rolls and the summer fruits and the flavor from this ice cream which I had made last summer and loved!

Below is a flow of the process in no particular order…

They make a good accompaniment with tea or coffee. I especially love them with my cuppa during the late afternoon. The rolls are also good for breakfast or brunch, or even a nice fruity dessert. If you are serving these as a dessert, warm them lightly and serve with cool whipped cream or ice cream.

Rosemary and Ginger Roasted Fruit Rolls

Ingredients: (makes about 8-12 rolls)

The Rolls/Dough:

1. 1 scant cup of milk
2. 1/6 cup sugar
   
3. 1/4 cup oil
4. 1/2 package (about 1.5 teaspoons) active dry yeast
5. 2 -1/4 + 1/4 cups flour + more for dusting
   
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. a generous pinch of baking powder
8. 1.5 teaspoons dry ginger powder or any other spice mix you want to use
   
9. 1 teaspoon almond extract (Optional)
   

For the filling:

1. 6 apricots, stone removed & chopped
2. 2 peaches, stone removed & chopped
3. 1 large nectarine, stone removed & chopped
4. 1/2 cup blueberries
5. 1.5 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
6. 1/4 cup sugar
7. 3 tablespoon butter
8. 1 teaspoon nutmeg or any spice
9. few tablespoons chopped and lightly toasted nuts (I used a combination of walnuts and almonds)
10. 1″ fresh ginger knob, peeled and grated

*Note that any combination of fruit may be used.

4 tablespoon melted butter for spreading/smearing on the dough

granulated sugar or icing sugar to dust on (whatever kind you prefer)



For the Glaze: (adjust amount of lime juice to taste)

1. 3-4 tablespoons lime juice
2. 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (granulated or icing, whichever you prefer)
   

Preparation:

To make the dough:

Heat milk, oil, and 1/6 cup sugar until warm (do not boil.)

Adjust the flour and milk to make a soft but not so sticky dough. You might need to add a couple of spoons of flour or a few spoons of milk.

Allow the above mix to cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle in yeast and let it sit for a while and let it get frothy and rise. Now add 2-1/4 cups flour and almond extract. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and  loosely gather up into lump, and cover with a tea towel, allowing it to rise for 1.5 – 2 hours.

After the end of the time, add remaining flour, spice powder,  almond extract if you are using, baking powder, and salt. Gently knead into a ball. Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Cover and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.


Prepare the filling:

Combine chopped fruits, sugar, rosemary and butter in a oven safe pan and bake for about 25 -30 minutes at 375F or until they are softened and start to caramelize. During the last few minutes, stir the fruits and combine the grated fresh ginger and bake for another 5 minutes, until the juice of the fruits dries out.

Cool the roasted fruits. Mash them with the back of a wooden spoon so they are not too big.

To make the rolls: ( ref. to the original Cinnamon Rolls has the step by step visual)

On lightly floured surface roll out half of the dough into a rectangle/oblong.

Spread generously with half the  butter. Spread half of the roasted fruits on the rolled dough.  Sprinkle half the nuts.

Roll up from a short side. Press and seal the edges.

Make a second roll with remaining dough, in the same way as above. Follow the same procedure with the butter,  roasted fruits and the nuts.

Slice each dough roll into 4 or 5 pieces. (I made 6-7 rolls from each to have smaller serving sizes).

Arrange slices, cut side down, in a greased baking pan. Place the rolls very close to each other on a baking tray, but not sticking to one another. They will rise when they sit and then when they bake and will stick to one another. Cover; let rise until nearly double (about 30 – 45 minutes). Do NOT skip this step.

To assemble:

Bake rolls in a 370 F degrees pre heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. If required, to prevent over-browning, cover rolls loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking.

Let cool for a few minutes; carefully remove them from the pan.

To lightly glaze the rolls, whisk the lime juice and the sugar until it is frothy and no more clear; it will be a pale whitish mix. Drizzle the rolls with this mix. Dust the  sugar over the top or lightly roll them in sugar.

Serve with tea/coffee, for breakfast or dessert (slightly warmed with some whipped cream on the side).

and indulge!

Related Posts:

Caramelized Apple Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

Velikonocni Kruhki: Slovenian Easter Buns

Spiced Fruit Bread

Cranberry Raisin Bundt Cake