Almond Sweet Rolls with Honey Caramel Glaze
If you want to give pecans and cinnamon a well deserved break, these yeasted almond sweet rolls with honey caramel glaze are the way to go! They’re the softest rolls ever, pillowy, sticky and super delicious. I used homemade almond paste for an intense almond flavor. You’ll see how easy it’s to make almond paste on this recipe! These almond sweet rolls are so soft they will be good for days and you won’t even need to reheat them in order to make them soft again. They’re going to be your new favorite breakfast!
What set these sweet rolls apart is the use of a sponge in the dough based on the Tangzhong technique, which has it’s origins in Japan and was popularized by Taiwanese cookbook author Yvonne Chen, according to the King Arthur Flour website on the page of it’s Perfect Pillowy Cinnamon Rolls, which this recipe is based on. As they explained over there, this technique involves cooking some of a bread recipe’s flour in liquid prior to adding it to the remaining dough ingredients. The heat of the mixture pre-gelatinizes the flour’s starches, which makes them more able to retain liquid. This results in a softer texture and a longer shelf life. But instead of cooking it on a saucepan over a stove top, I just heat the mixture in the microwave to save me some steps and dishes to clean after. It worked like a charm!
Now, let’s talk about the almond paste, shall we? I simply love almond croissants, mazapan, almond cookies or anything that has almonds on it. So why not put some almond paste in my morning rolls? If you haven’t made almond paste, let me tell you right now it is one of those things that tastes and sound fancy and that you would only find in fancy patisseries, but it’s actually the simplest and most uncomplicated thing to make. Do you have almond flour or meal, confectioner’s sugar, an egg white, almond extract, a food processor and five minutes? Then my friend, you have almond paste in your hands without you even knowing it! After you learn how to make it with this recipe, you will want to use it everywhere.
The almond paste will not spread on the dough as other fillings for rolls typically do, such as jams, Nutella or curds. You’ll have to press chunks of the almond paste between your hands to make it as thin as possible to cover the dough surface, like assembling a puzzle. I’m aware the first picture is not the prettiest, but I realized it was important for you to see what I was talking about. I was already working in my real counter and not on the shooting table so light conditions were very poor, but I tried to make it as good as possible for you to understand how the almond paste is supposed to look on top of the dough.
These sweet almond rolls are pretty straightforward to make. They’re not complicated and most of the time you are idle while waiting on the dough to rise. Let me walk you through the steps and some tips for a total recipe success!
How to make the softest almond sweet rolls
I suggest you start by taking the butter out so it begins to soften while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Butter should be soft but not warm or oily. If its consistency is getting to this point, pop it in the fridge just for a couple of minutes while you finish preparing everything else.
Have the rest of the dough ingredients accesible before making the sponge because you want to add them to the bowl while the sponge is still warm.
Make the sponge by heating some of the flour with the coconut milk in a measuring cup in the microwave. Start with 15-second intervals three to four times, then reduce the time to 10 seconds only if you need to keep heating. The end result should be very thick, like a pudding consistency. Add it to your mixing bowl.
Next you will add the rest of the ingredients in the order they appear. One of the reasons you don’t want your butter extra warm is because the warmth of the sponge will soften it even more. Knead for about 10 minutes. Cover with a warm cloth (I like to use a throw blanket and a cardigan) and place it in a warm corner of your home, preferably without any air drift. Let it rise for 60 to 90 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the dough is ready to stretch, make the almond paste. I like to pulse a few seconds the almond flour alone to break any lumps and make the grain even finer. Incorporate just the confectioner’s sugar by a few pulses and then the egg white and almond extract. You can transfer it to a plastic paper and top it with another piece of plastic paper to press it down as much as you can without making your hands extra sticky. This way you can tear up pieces, press them down a bit more and arrange on top of the already stretched dough.
When the dough has risen, stretch it into a rectangle on a floured surface. Arrange the almond paste on top and roll the dough into a log. Cut it using an unflavored dental floss by getting it below the dough and then crossing it over on top. Arrange each roll on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 ½” between each one. Rise again for 30 to 45 minutes. At this point you should start preheating your oven to 375°.
When the rolls are puffy it’s finally time to bake! Bake them between 15 to 18 minutes.
While the rolls are baking prepare your glaze ingredients so they’re ready to go. As soon as you take the rolls out make the glaze.
When the glaze is ready place them in a cooling rack and place that on the same baking sheet. Pour the glaze on top of each roll, making sure it’s covering the sides as well. Finish everything up with slivered almonds if you like. So good!!
The real question is, when will you be baking these?!! I promise every bite is so worth the effort. Let me know in the comments below or drop any questions you might have. Now excuse me while I look for a day to make these again!
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Almond Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
Sponge
◯ Coconut milk - ½ cup (113g) (if you don't have coconut milk you can use full-fat milk)
◯ Unbleached bread flour - 3 TBSP (23g)
Sweet dough
◯ Coconut milk - ⅔ cup (if you don't have coconut milk you can use full-fat milk)
◯ Unbleached bread flour - 2 ½ cups (300g)
◯ Fine sea salt - 1 Tsp (6g)
◯ Natural granulated sugar - 2 TBSP (25g)
◯ Instant yeast - 3 Tsp (11g)
◯ Butter, softened - 6 TBSP (84g)
Almond paste filling
◯ Almond flour or almond meal - 2 ½ cup
◯ Powdered sugar - 1 cup, packed (100g)
◯ Fine sea salt - ¼ Tsp
◯ Egg whites - 2
◯ Almond extract - ½ Tsp
Honey caramel glaze
◯ Butter - 1 stick (½ cup, 113g)
◯ Brown sugar - ¾ cup (150g)
◯ Honey (if possible don’t use any flavored honey) - ⅓ cup (75 mL)
◯ Almond extract - a few drop to ⅛ Tsp.
◯ Slivered almonds - about ½ cup (42g)
Details
Yield:
12 sweet rolls
Total time:
3 hours
Active Time:
20 minutes to make the dough, 5 minutes to make the almond paste and 5 minutes to make the honey caramel glaze
Rising (idle) times:
60 to 90 minutes for the first rise
30 minutes for the second rise
Equipment:
stand mixer with hook attachment, rolling pin, baking sheet, pastry brush
Steps
To make the sponge:
In a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl mix the ½ cup of coconut milk with the 3 tablespoons of flour. Heat in 15 seconds intervals until you have a pudding like consistency, about 3 to 4 times. Scrape this mixture into your mixing bowl.
To make the sweet yeasted dough:
Prepare your mixer with the hook attachment.
In this particular order pour over the sponge the remaining ⅔ cup of coconut milk, the 2 ½ cups of bread flour, the teaspoon of sea salt, the 2 tablespoons of sugar, the instant yeast and the softened butter.
Start running your mixer in low speed and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough looks smooth and elastic. This dough will be tacky but still manageable so try not to add extra flour. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a bowl. Cover with plastic paper and with a throw blanket or a knit cloth (I usually use an old cardigan : ) Place in a warm corner of your home, possibly without any drift. Let the dough rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until it is puffy and has doubled in size.
In the meantime make the almond paste filling.
To make the almond paste filling:
In the bowl of a food processor pulse the 2 ½ cup of almond flour with the cup of sugar and the ¼ teaspoon of sea salt until the mixture has a fine texture. Add the 2 egg whites and the ½ teaspoon of almond extract and run the processor again until a tight paste forms. Transfer to a large piece of plastic paper and cover it with another large piece of plastic paper. Press it down to make it thinner, about ¼” thin.
Rolls assembly:
Transfer dough to a well floured flat surface. Press it into a rectangle shape and then with a rolling pin stretch it to a 12” x 10” rectangle. Cover all the top area of the dough with segments of the almost paste arranging them as close as possible but never overlapping. Small spots uncovered are ok. Think of this as a puzzle. Starting from the longest side, gently pull up the dough and roll the dough into a log. Using an unflavored dental floss (see notes on how to cut with it) or very sharp knife cut the dough in 1 ¼” pieces. Carefully transfer each roll to a baking tray, leaving about 1 ½” of space between them. Cover the rolls with a greased plastic paper or knit cloth and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes. The rolls should be puffy and bigger in size. While the rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375°.
Bake rolls for 15 to 18 minutes. They should be golden brown and the tops just a bit darker. Go all the way to 20 minutes if you prefer firmer rolls. Take out of the oven and make the glaze.
To make the honey caramel almond glaze:
In a medium saucepan combine the stick of butter, the ¾ cup of brown sugar and the ⅓ cup of honey. Heat over low and stir until butter and sugar have melted. Retire from heat and add the few drops of almond extract and the ½ cup of slivered almonds. Mix to combine.
Put rolls on a cooling rack and place it over the same baking sheet with the parchment paper that you just used to bake the rolls. With a spoon pour glaze on rolls, making sure the sides are well covered and that the rolls are covered with enough almonds.
Wait a few minutes just to let the glaze set and ENJOY!!!
