.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Mary Molt's Sweet Yeast Dough as featured in the Aprils 2023 issue of KANSAS! Magazine

Mary Molt's Sweet Yeast Dough as featured in the Aprils 2023 issue of KANSAS! Magazine

Dr. Mary Molt and K-State's dining halls were the perfect fit for the latest issue of KANSAS! Magazine, (vol 79, issue 3, 2023) with a theme related to the state's record setting. Both Dr. Molt and K-State have a an impressive list of accomplishments and accolades. Since this article appears in the Taste section, Mary provided this recipe that was shared with her by a student.

Caramel-Pecan version of this Sweet Yeast Dough. The dough is so a dream to work with and I look forward to trying other versions.

Sweet Yeast Dough

Ingredient

Amount

Procedure

Milk

2 cups

Warm milk to about 115^oF. Pour into large mixing bowl.

Eggs, slightly beaten

Sugar **

Instant Potato Flakes

Oil

Instant Yeast

Salt

Flour

2 eggs

½ cup

2 packets

[or 1 Tbsp + 1 ½ tsp]

2 tsp

2 cups

Add ingredients listed at left to warm milk.

Using a flat paddle (mixer) or spoon, beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes.

Replace flat paddle with dough hook and proceed as described below.

Flour

3 - 3 ½ cups

Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time.

Note: Dough should be soft. Adjust flour amount slightly as/if needed for a soft dough.

Use mixer to mix and knead (or knead by hand) until smooth and elastic. Knead approx. 10-11 min in mixer or knead on a floured surface about the same time (until a piece of dough can be stretched very thin, i.e. window pane test.)

Grease top of dough and cover bowl. Let stand in warm place until double in size, 40-min. or so.

SHAPE AS PREFERRED

Cinnamon Rolls -- Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 15 x 12-inches. Brush with 2 Tbsp softened butter and sprinkle with mixture of 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Roll tightly, jelly roll fashion, starting with short side, pinch edge to seal. Cut into slices. Place cut side down into greased 9 x 13-inch pan or pan with pecan-caramel mixture (recipe follows). Let rise until double in size (30-45 min) and bake at 350-375^oF for approximately 30 minutes until done. If using pecan-caramel mixture let rolls cool for 10 minutes then turn out. Pecan-Carmel mixture: In the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch pan, mix together ½ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 ½ cups brown sugar,

¼ tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle with pecans or walnuts (optional.)

Yield: 12 cinnamon or pecan rolls + dough for a small loaf.

**Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls -- Using buttered hands, form dough into 1 – 1½ inch balls and put balls into greased pan with rolls touching. Brush dough balls lightly with melted butter. Let rise until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes. Bake at 375^oF for approximately 20 min until browned and registers an internal temperature of 190-195⁰F. When done, brush with melted butter.

**Note: For a less sweet dinner roll reduce sugar by a third to a half.

Yield: 18-24 dinner rolls.

Kolaches -- Form dough into 1½ inch balls and put on greased cookie sheet. Leave space to rise without touching. Brush dough balls with melted butter. Let rise until doubled in size, about 30-40 minutes. Make an indention in the middle of each ball, leaving ½ - 1-inch outer rim. Fill indented area with fruit filling or jam. Bake immediately after filling at 375^oF - 400^oF for 12-15 min until browned. When done, brush with melted butter. Dough may be rolled to about ½ to ¾ inch thick and cut with at 3 ½” cutter.

Yield: 15-18 kolaches.

I made the Pecan-Caramel Rolls and they were outstanding. A hit with everyone that tried them. So soft, tender and utterly delicious—ewwy, gooey and oh, so good.! I took photos of the process.