Molasses Taffy Rolls
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Ingredients
  • Molasses Taffy Rolls Master Recipe:
  • ⅔ cup milk
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 6 Tablespoons solid shortening (Crisco)
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 packages dry yeast (not the quick-rising)
  • ⅔ cup lukewarm water
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • About 6 cups flour, divided
Instructions
  1. Scald milk; pour into large mixing bowl. Add salt and shortening; stir until shortening is melted. Add molasses and stir to blend.
  2. Sprinkle yeast in lukewarm water. Add sugar; let stand 5 minutes. Stir after 5 minutes and add to molasses-milk mixture. Add beaten eggs and mix well.
  3. Stir in 3 cups of the flour and beat until smooth. Add another 2 to 2-1/2 cups flour to make a smooth dough, but still sticky.
  4. Spread out about ½ cup of flour on work surface and pile on dough. Knead dough gently until smooth and elastic, but not stiff. It should be a soft dough that is slightly firm.
  5. Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl, turn dough over once to bring greased side up. Cover bowl and let dough rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
  6. Divide dough in half. (I weigh the dough to make sure it's even). Use one half for the Molasses Taffy Cinnamon Rolls and the other half for the Hot Cross Buns. (As I mentioned in the blog, I made both, but next time I would make the entire batch of just the cinnamon rolls!)
  7. To make the Molasses Taffy Cinnamon Rolls (sticky buns):
  8. Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in an 8-by-8-inch square pan. Stir in ⅓ cup of sugar mixed with 2 Tablespoons of molasses, right in the pan with the melted butter. Set aside. Roll out half of the master dough into a rectangle 11-by-16-inches. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and brush over dough. Mix together ⅓ cup sugar , ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ½ cup dark raisins. Sprinkle over dough. Roll up dough beginning at long end and pinch seam to seal. Cut dough into 9 equal pieces and place cut side down in prepared pan with the molasses-butter mixture. Cover and let rise until double, about 1 hour to 1-1/2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until golden and center roll is cooked through. Remove from oven and immediately turn pan out onto a serving plate and slowly lift pan off. Scrape up any glaze that may be sticking to the pan and pour over hot rolls. Makes 9 rolls.
  9. To make the Hot Cross Buns:
  10. Form the other half of the master recipe dough into 2 rolls, 9-inches long. Cut into 1-inch slices, making 1-1/2 dozen. Form each slice into a ball and place equally in 2 greased 8-inch round cake pans. Let rise until double in bulk, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes or until golden. Remove pans to wire rack to cool. To decorate for Hot Cross Buns, mix together ½ cup confectioner's sugar and 2 to 3 teaspoons of water or milk. Place in pastry bag and make X's on each roll. Makes 1-1/2 dozen buns.
Recipe by The Culinary Cellar at https://theculinarycellar.com/cookbooks-yooper-cousin/