Description
A great use for ripe and ready pears, these cinnamon rolls are made with almond milk and chai tea for warm flavors that everyone loves in the morning.
Ingredients
Scale
*for the rolls*
- 1 cup {almond} milk
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour {+ ½ cup, separated}
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tbsp instant active dry yeast {about ½ a package}
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
*for the filling*
- 5 pears, peeled, cored, and diced {about 4 cups}
- ½ cup strong chai tea {I used 2 tea bags for ½ cup of water}
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large nonstick pot, combine the milk, oil, and ¼ cup of sugar. Heat up to about 120F {warmer than body temperature but NOT burning hot} over medium heat, then remove from burner and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
- Afterwards, mix in the 2 cups of flour, cover the pot with a clean tea towel, and let the dough rise for about 1 hour.
- After the first rise, add in the salt, baking powder, baking soda, and additional flour. Knead until all the flour has been absorbed, and add more if needed. You want the dough to be soft and smooth but not too sticky! Using a sharp knife, cut an X on top of your dough {this helps it rise }, cover with a tea towel again, and let rise for an additional 3+ hours. You can let it rise overnight at this point, or you can also wait until the next step!
- When you are almost ready to assemble, prepare your filling. You want to have enough time for it to cook and then cool off completely.
- In a medium nonstick pot, combine the pears, chai tea, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Heat to boiling, then lower to a simmer, stirring occasionally. You want the mixture to thicken into a jam-like consistency. If you are wanting an extra kick of chai, feel free to throw in another bag of chai tea into the mix.
- Once the pear chunks are very soft and the mixture is thick, remove from heat and cool to room temperature before assembly.
- After the second rise, lightly flour a clean surface, and dump the dough on top. Knead it for 2-3 minutes, adding more flour as needed. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with, so add flour if it’s too sticky!
- Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rough rectangle, making sure you don’t roll it out too thin. Spread the prepared pear mixture all over the surface of the dough, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and brown sugar if desired.
- Starting on the long side closest to you, roll up the dough, being careful that no filling falls out of the sides.
- Using a large, smooth knife, cut 1½-2 inch slices of dough, and place them in a greased 9×13 pan {or you can use a giant muffin pan + 9×9 baking dish}. Make sure to leave some space between the rolls to allow them to rise more!
- At this point, you can cover the pans with plastic wrap and either let them rise for 30 minutes in a warm place, or place them in the refrigerator overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the rolls 15-18 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and no longer doughy.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
- Category: Baking, Breakfast