Spiral Rolls Recipe
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm milk (105–110°F)
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into bits
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- Special equipment: a muffin pan with 12 muffin cups
- Stir together milk, yeast, and 1/2 tablespoon sugar and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
- Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs, then stir together with salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir just until a dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a work surface (not floured) and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to an oiled large bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and turn out onto work surface (not floured). Divide into 12 equal portions.
- Roll out 1 piece of dough into a 9- by 1-inch strip with a rolling pin, rolling and folding lengthwise and crosswise to make sides as straight as possible. Starting with 1 end, roll up strip and put, a spiral side up, in a muffin cup. Make 11 more rolls in same manner.
- Cover rolls loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Lightly beat egg with 1 teaspoon water and gently brush tops of rolls with some egg wash.
- Bake in middle of oven until tops are golden and bottoms are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
