I ate the most amazing sweet roll on my recent Alaska trip. We had the good fortune of stumbling upon the cutest little bakery in Girdwood. The amazingly beautiful begonias caught our attention and we decide to stop and get a treat.
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The Bake Shop is charming and the owner, Stefanie, is even more charming. We asked her about her amazing flowers – things grow big in Alaska. She grows the flowers in a greenhouse until it’s warm enough to put them outside. Then she loving tends them with plenty of Miraclegro.
She tends to her customers with the same loving care and treated us to her fabulous sweet rolls. The huge fluffy rolls are topped with jam and sliced almonds.
After indulging, I decided I had to have the recipe and Stefanie was gracious enough to email it to me. The original recipe made a giant pan of sweet rolls and I downsized it and made one quarter of the recipe.
The dough was pillow soft and easy to work with. I just pressed out the dough with my hands into a rectangle and didn’t even need to use a rolling pin.
I didn’t have the anise seed or mace called for in the original recipe, so I subsitute a finely ground star anise and a bit of freshly grated nutmeg. I also substituted (since I was serving them for the 4th of July) dried cherries for the raisins and black cherry jam for the raspberry jam.
They baked up so light and fully and the tart cherries were a nice contrast to the sweet cherry jam. The rolls were just as good as I remembered. My family loved them.
The only thing I would do differently next time is roll the dough out thinner, in more of a square shape, so that there are more thin, delicious layers like the fabulous sweet rolls at The Bake Shop.
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Bake Shop Sweet Rolls
Ingredients
- ¾ cup warm water about 110º
- 2 tablespoons yeast
- 3 ½ - 4 ½ cups all purpose or bread flour divided
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup powdered milk
- 1 star anise finely ground
- 1 pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup 8 tablespoons - 1 stick butter, room temperature, divided
- ½ cup dried cherries diced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup black cherry jam
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Whisk together warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon sugar and set aside.
- Mix 2 cups flour, ⅓ cup sugar, salt, powdered milk, anise, and nutmeg in stand mixer fitted with a beater blade. Turn machine to low and add 6 tablespoons butter, eggs and yeast mixture.
- After the liquids are incorporated, switch to the dough hook, and gradually add the remaining flour (add more or less as necessary) until dough clings to the hook and almost cleans the sides.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and just slightly sticky, 6 to 7 minutes. Knead in dried cherries the last minute.
- Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft free place until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.
- While dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in bowl.
- Remove dough from bowl, and pat into a 16 inch square. Spread 2 tablespoons melted butter evenly over dough and sprinkle on brown sugar cinnamon mixture.
- Using dental floss or knife, cut dough into 12 pieces. Place each roll cut side up in a greased 13 x 9 pan. Top each roll with a teaspoon or two of jam and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Cover pan with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size, about 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered, 30 minutes or until golden brown. For the glaze: whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm sweet rolls.
Angie's Recipes
wow those rolls look to die for! Great clicks too.
Kitchen Belleicious
Oh my word they look incredible. I am craving one right now! I love my sweet rolls and these are no exception! I love your rendition!
Lisa @ Sweet as Sugar Cookies
Glorious deliciousness!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
omg! These are heavenly!
Claire @ Claire K Creations
That dough looks so soft and fluffy. I love scrolls fresh from the oven. Hope you had a good 4th of July!
kim sisto robinson
~B.
I will be making these with my Mama. 🙂 WOWIE!
Bonnie
How nice that the owner of the shop gave you the recipe and thank you for sharing with us. They are beautiful. I have fresh raspberries from my patch so maybe I need to make some of these and top them.
Carol
Oh my goodness……..those rolls look outstanding! These are going to be a must try for me. 🙂
Thank you Barbara,
Carol
Barbara | Creative Culinary
These look amazing; I love the addition of the cherries. Thanks for sharing this recipe and not insisting we would have to go to Alaska to get it. 🙂
BreAna {Sugar and Spice and All Things Iced}
These look and sound delicious! Both the cherry and the raspberry filling sound delightful. I will have to try these! 🙂
Desserts In My Kitchen
Hi Barbara. Those sweet rolls look amazing! I love your food blog, and I subscribed so I don’t miss any delicious treats 🙂
Maris (In Good Taste)
They look so professional and I am sure taste even better!
Kathleen
This look slap my mama Good!
Kathy - Panini Happy
These look incredible, Barbara! I just judged a whole bunch of different sweet rolls in a baking competition last weekend…you would have gotten my vote for these on looks alone. 🙂
Donna
When can I come over for breakfast???
Kendra
Your combination of flavors sound very good!!
Rosa
What divine looking rolls! They must be so delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
Becky
Oh my!! These look amazing! I love getting tried and true recipes from restaurants and bakeries. I am saving these to make for my next cinnamon roll adventure.
Happy Cook / Finla
Wowo these looks so so good, I am bookmarking them as you said it is so so soft and indeed gracious of her to give you the recipe, normally here is you ask them they won’t give it.
Nisrine
These look so good, Brbara. You are such a great baker. The cherry filling sounds delicious.