.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: 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.