Apple and Cinnamon Danish Scrolls

Baking must be in my blood. I found out recently that my cousin has started a small business of catering High Teas including baking all the food and setting up the event. She has made some amazing looking things and one of them was these danishes. They looked too good to pass up so I thought I would give it a go myself! She only services the area where she lives outside of Rockhampton QLD but if you want to check her out head over to Miss Amy's Facebook page.

I make apple scrolls everyday at work but they are made on a sweet bread dough base. These are a laminated dough so they take extra effort and time but are so worth it! They are light and almost flaky and just super delicious. I made mine quite big but you can always cut them smaller and make more.

Apple and Cinnamon Danish Scrolls

Adapted from Taste.com

What you will need

For the dough
7g dried yeast
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 cup warm milk
1 1/2 cups plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg lightly whisked
100g butter, room temperature
1 extra egg, beaten (for egg wash)

For the filling
1 apple, cored, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 cup sultanas
2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar

For the icing
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk

What you will need to do

In a bowl, combine yeast, caster sugar and milk and set aside for 5 minutes until foaming. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the milk mixture and egg to the flour and stir with a round blade knife (or alternatively use the dough hook attachment on your mixer) to stir until combined. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Lightly grease the bowl and place the dough back in and sit for about 20 minutes until the dough has grown in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle. Rub the butter over two thirds of the rectangle. Fold dough into thirds to enclose the butter. turn the dough 90* clockwise and roll out again into a rectangle. Fold into thirds again, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 20 minutes to rest. Repeat the rolling and folding again then wrap and put back in the fridge. Repeat this whole process three times.

To prepare the filling, combine the butter and and brown sugar in a bowl until well mixed. In a separate bowl combine the apple, sultanas and cinnamon. Line a loaf tin with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200*C.

Roll out the dough one more time, fold and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest. After 30 minutes take the dough and roll it into a rectangle one final time. Spread the butter and sugar mixture over the dough and sprinkle over the apple mix. Roll the dough from the long end into a big log. Slice the log into six pieces. Place the pieces into the prepared tin so that you can see the spirals from the top. Place in a warm spot for about 30 minutes or until the pieces just about double in size. Brush the tops with the extra egg. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the tops have browned. Lift scrolls out of the tin using the baking paper and place on a cooling rack.

To make the icing, mix the icing sugar with the milk until smooth. Spoon the icing onto the tops of the scrolls.