When I was in primary school, rolls quite similar to these were a breakfast staple. You could always get them in the school bakery, along with Danish braids filled with vanilla pastry cream. With a glass of chocolate milk, those were pretty amazing sweet breakfasts at the time, I must admit.
Although I am more of a savoury breakfast type of a person now, every now and then I like a sweet pastry with a cup of strong black coffee. And these gems are really what I want. Soft, fluffy, delightfully sweet, with the tiniest crunch from the flaked almonds. Simply perfect.
When it comes to butter, I add it cold, straight from the refrigerator, in one piece. I simply squeeze it with my fingers through the dough, as I knead, until all is absorbed, and it works perfectly. By all means, it can be added diced and slightly softened, but this is what I find works best for me.
And on a final note, to fill them with your favourite jam, use a nozzle that you would use to fill doughnuts or carefully insert a knife through each pastry and then fill them with just a piping bag with a tip cut off. Of course, they will be equally delicious split in half and filled with jam that way, it is up to your preference.
Ingredients
200 grams strong bread flour
225 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons salt
270 millilitres warm water
30 millilitres sunflower oil
30 grams fresh yeast
25 grams granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
75 grams vegan block butter
45 grams vegan honey
50 grams flaked almonds
100 grams jam
icing sugar, for serving
Preparation
Take a large bowl, sift in both types of flour, add in the salt, and blend well. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the warm water, oil, sugar, and crumbled fresh yeast. Let it stand for about 10 minutes, or until the yeast activates and becomes bubbly. Make a well in the centre of the sifted flours, pour in the yeast and the vanilla, and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms.
Add the butter to the dough, either diced or simply squish it with your fingers, and knead it into the dough. It may take some time for the dough to absorb all the butter, but be patient, and it will. Knead the dough until it becomes soft, but not sticky, cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm spot for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until doubled. Keep in mind that the dough might resemble thick batter at this point, and that is fine.
Once risen and ready, turn the soft dough onto a nicely floured surface and make a long rope shape out of it, without any kneading. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough into 12 equal parts, and arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Generously mist the dough pieces with cold water, and let them rise until the oven preheats to 200˚C.
As soon as the oven is ready, brush them generously with vegan honey and sprinkle them with flaked almonds. Bake immediately in a nicely preheated oven, at 200˚C, for about 12-15 minutes, or until evenly golden. Let them cool down slightly, fill each one abundantly with your favourite jam, dust with some icing sugar, and serve. Yields 12 sweet butter rolls.
