Raspberry Sweet Rolls

A friend asked me for raspberry recipes about a week ago since it is raspberry season.  She was looking for new ways to use her fresh raspberries.   I found this one in searching my recipes this morning, so thought I would share it.  You will need a half of a day to dedicate to making these rolls but you can freeze them and bake them on another day.  Can you smell the house after they are baked?  Yum!!!!  Your family will love you and the rolls. 

1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar

1 ½  tablespoons active dry yeast

1 stick soft butter

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

4 ¼ cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)

Filling

1 lb. raspberries (you may use frozen)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Frosting

¾ cup powdered sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 ½ tablespoons milk

Warm the milk over moderately low heat until it's 95° (too hot and you will kill the yeast).  I have a very inexpensive thermometer I think I paid one dollar for at the Dollar Store.  Using your Kitchen Aide standing mixer with the dough hook attached, stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk (you can do by hand, but I'm blessed and have a Kitchen Aide which saves my arm and time). Let stand 5 minutes until it gets foamy. Add the softened butter, eggs, and salt. Add the flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the dough is soft, about 10 minutes longer.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands 2 or 3 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a clean lightly buttered bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let it stand in a warm place until the dough doubles in size (2 hours).

Butter the bottom of a 9 X 13 baking pan and the sides.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a 10 X 24 inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick).

Toss the raspberries with the sugar and cornstarch. Spread the raspberry filling evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 24 inch long log. Cut the log into quarters. Cut each quarter into 4 slices and arrange them in the baking pan, cut sides up. Scrape any berries and juice from the work surface into the baking pan between the rolls. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they have filled the baking pan (about 2 hours).

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling.

For the frosting, mix the powdered sugar with the butter and milk.  Frost the rolls while they are a little warm so the frosting will melt and run like a glaze.  Your family will want to eat them on sight or first smell of them.  

Variation:

You can use what ever fresh or in season fruit you like.  You can also use your favorite frozen fruit.  If you like cinnamon rolls, this recipe will work for cinnamon rolls also.  Just replace the filling with cinnamon and sugar (raisins if you like).

It is going to be a hot day here.  I'm so glad I have air conditioning and don't have to heat up the house.  How did our grandmothers ever do it? They had no freezers to freeze so when your fruit was ready, you fixed it no matter how hot it was. 

Stay cool, be happy and may God bless you and yours.