Rosemary Cardamom Twisters

2015 National Festival of Breads Finalist
Amy Meiers, Santa Rosa, California

“My mom passed away 3 years ago after a battle with breast cancer. One of the fond memories I have of her is when we walked to my neighborhood bakery and got their amazing cardamom rolls…we justified it was a well-deserved treat after our walk! I wanted to re-create those cardamom rolls so I could make them at home. I’ve been working on these for the last couple of years. I think the rosemary and cardamom flavors really work nicely together.”

Yield: 24 rolls.

Ingredients

Dough

3 ½ cups (14 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 to 1 1/3 cups (4 ¼ to 5 ¾ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (5 3/8 ounces) warm milk (110°-115°F)
1 (¼ ounce) package RED STAR® Active Dry Yeast
1/3 cup (3 ounces) warm buttermilk (110°-115°F)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

Filling

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary; 1 to 2 sprigs
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup (1 7/8 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar

Glaze

½ cup (4 ounces) water
¼ cup (1 ¾ ounces) granulated sugar

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine warm milk and yeast. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for mixture to foam (proof). Add buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; stir to combine.
  3. Pour yeast mixture into the flour mixture; mix 2 minutes. Beat in the butter. Switch to dough hook, and if needed, gradually add enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to form a slightly sticky dough. Knead 10 to 12 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise 1 ½ hours.
  4. While dough rises, make the filling. Remove rosemary leaves from the stems and chop leaves until very fine. Combine the filling ingredients and reserve.
  5. Divide dough into two equal pieces. Roll out one piece into a square, 14” x 14”. Spread half of the filling completely over the dough then fold into thirds.
  6. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 12 short strips. To shape, work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Gently stretch each piece of dough while twisting each end 2 to 3 times, then coil the strip together and tuck the end underneath the coil.  Place on parchment-lined 18” x 13” baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
  7. Cover rolls with plastic wrap, and let dough rise until doubled, 30 to 40 minutes. Near the end of the rise, preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, until golden brown.
  8. While rolls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove rolls from oven; immediately brush with glaze and cool on a rack.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 roll, 70g): 230 calories, 9g fat, 3g fiber, 5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 34g carbohydrates, 45mg cholesterol, 65mg sodium, 5g protein, 0mg vitamin C, 1mg iron, 20mg calcium. 

Baker's Bio

To view Amy Meiers's finalist bio click here.