May 2024 - Master Sweet Dough Recipe: Hot Cross Buns, Shortcut Babka, Cinnamon Rolls & Braid

 
From breakfast, brunch, lunch to teatime, warm, fresh baked goods add to every meal’s enjoyment. No one loves the speed and convenience of a quick bread more than I, but sometimes the occasion calls for something a little special, something that takes a little time but not that much more effort. Yeast bread, specifically a sturdy, all-purpose sweet yeast dough recipe, is a wonderful thing to have in your repertoire.  

This slightly sweet dough is so adaptable and versatile that it has been my go-to yeast dough for over thirty years. I love that it is happy to rise immediately or hang out in the refrigerator overnight. Mornings, you can have fresh, warm pastries on the table in about an hour and a half. It takes beautifully to hand-shaping or being rolled out. Though not as rich as brioche dough, it is much less fussy and will do the job quite well. This is a good dough for beginners or cooks who aren’t comfortable with yeast doughs, yet!
 
Let’s get a little more familiar with yeast. It is not as scary as you may have thought. I have been using a bag of dried yeast I found in my parent’s freezer marked “2012,” and it is still just perfect. If you ever are doubtful about the heartiness of your yeast, you can proof the yeast in a little warm (95 to 105 degrees F) water, which just means dissolve the yeast in the water and let sit for 5 minutes. The healthy yeast should look creamy or foamy and have little bubbles on the surface. 
This recipe skips the proofing step and lets you add the liquid ingredients to some of the dry ingredients and stir to combine. A higher water temperature can be used (105 to 115 degrees F) because the yeast is buffered by the flour. 

Yeast dough recipes generally leave the flour amount open to adjustment, such as 4 to 4 ½ cups flour. I recommend erring on the side of a stickier dough, using less flour, because flour can always be added when shaping the dough, after the first rise. 
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Shortcut Babka
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Adapted From Fleischmann’s
Master Sweet Dough Recipe:
Hot Cross Buns, Shortcut Babka, Cinnamon Rolls, & Braid
 

​MAKES: Varies by recipe
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
BAKE TIME: 15–20 minutes
RISE TIME: 2-½–24 hours
SECOND RISE: 20–40 minutes
INGREDIENTS: 

• 4-1/2 cups flour, divided
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 (4-1/2 tsp. total) envelopes dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces
• 2 eggs

Add for Hot Cross Buns:

• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 orange
• ½ cup golden raisins
• Vegetable oil for greasing bowl         

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt in large mixer bowl.
2. Heat milk, water, and butter until warm (120° to 130°F). Gradually add to flour mixture; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs, lemon and orange zest, and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to make stiff batter. Grease top. 
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Remove dough from refrigerator. Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; divide in half or leave whole, depending on selected preparation.

 
HOT CROSS BUNS (use 1/2 of dough for 8” by 8” pan)
Shape into 9 balls, each about the size of a small apple. Place in greased 8” by 8” pan. Cover, let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 35 minutes or until done. Cool in pan at least 20 minutes then drizzle with icing to form the traditional cross of hot cross buns. Serve warm if possible.
 
Vanilla Icing:
Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, 4 to 5 teaspoons milk and 1 / 2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.
 
 SHORTCUT BABKA: (use 1/2 of dough)
Use any filling you like for your babka, including preserves with or without chopped nuts, canned fillings such as Solo brand or just softened butter and cinnamon sugar.  Pat out dough on floured surface to a rectangle approximately 12” by 10”. Spread filling over dough. Roll up firmly from short side. Pinch seam to seal. With sharp knife, halve roll lengthwise. Carefully twist the two halves together and fit into greased loaf pan. Loosely lay a piece of plastic wrap over loaf pan and let rise 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Preheat oven to 350˚F about 15 minutes before baking.
Bake until deep golden color and skewer inserted in center feels firm, about 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on rack for 10 to 15 minutes then turn out of pan to cool completely. Drizzle with glaze, if desired. 
 
CINNAMON ROLLS: (use whole recipe)
Mix filling ingredients: 1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cups chopped pecans (optional,) and 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Roll dough into a roughly 17” by 10” rectangle. Spread with 1 stick (1/2 cup) softened butter and sprinkle filling over. Beginning with the long side, roll dough into a log. Cut log into sixteen 1-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides up, into a greased 13” by 9” pan. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350◦F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Ice with cream cheese frosting, if desired.
 
Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls: 
Have 4 ounces cream cheese and 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature. Beat on low speed in mixer with 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons milk or cream until spreading consistency. 
 
BERRY ALMOND “BRAID:” (use 1/2 of dough)
Pat out dough in rough rectangle about 1/3” thick. Spread about a ½ cup jam or filling in center third of dough. Sprinkle with ½ cup chopped, toasted almonds, reserving 2 tablespoons for the top, if desired. With sharp knife, cut strips down each side about 1” thick. Starting at top edge, fold each strip over and down, alternating between right and left side strips. Tuck in bottom as shown. Let rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes, until almost doubled. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Cool on rack for about 20 minutes and top with vanilla glaze and reserved chopped almonds, if desired. Best served warm or same day.
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Master Sweet dough, clockwise from upper left: step #2, showing the bubbly, happy yeast, after beating for 2 minutes, more flour and eggs added, the dough beginning its first rise, and the dough after its final beating and all flour has been added.
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Clockwise from upper left: half batch of the softish dough, patted out with no additional flour added, spread with about ½ cup berry jam down the center third, 1” strips cut on the outer thirds, strips folded over and tucked in, after all the strips have been crossed, after the second rise, just out of the oven, looking messy but definitely handmade.
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The finished braid with a spring garden bouquet (thank you, Mr. Vazquez!) Though this dough was very soft, with no added flour, it still looks pretty and appetizing with its quickly glazed top and shower of chopped almonds. Much of the charm of home baked goods is in their rustic, handmade character. It does not need to look perfect to be wonderful.

Happy Mother’s Day to those who are Mothers and those who
Have Mothers!