Vanilla rolls are one of the few types of candy that people can instantly tell if they’ve done well. When they are tender, fragrant and still hold their shape, they disappear from the box before they have time to cool.
Vanilla rolls belong to Christmas as firmly as the first lit candle . Every family has its proven recipe, but sometimes it happens that the rolls crack, crumble or break immediately after baking. At the same time, a single adjustment in the dough is all it takes, and the result is suddenly like a confectioner’s display case.
Watch the video with the recipe for the Christmas chocolate star from yeast dough here:
The magic lies in the ratio, not the strength of the hands
The beauty of rolls is that they are simple. , flour, nuts and sugar. That’s why any deviation will show up immediately. If there are too many nuts, the dough will not hold its shape. If there is too much flour, the rolls are hard. And when there is little fat, everything spills under the hands. The answer is to add one single ingredient that many grandmothers knew, but today is forgotten – a little starch.
Starch does what neither flour nor nuts can, it binds the dough together without weighing it down. Thanks to it, the rolls are soft, hold their shape beautifully and do not fall apart, even when you roll them in sugar when they are warm. This is exactly what Christmas smelled like with our mothers and grandmothers.
“As soon as the dough is too dry, it starts to crumble. If, on the other hand, it is too greasy, the rolls will break apart during baking. It is ideal to stick to the classic ratio of one to one and add a little starch to the dough, that way they will remain fragile but firm,” advises Mrs. Petra, who bakes Christmas cookies to order.
Why do rolls sometimes crack?
Anyone who bakes vanilla rolls regularly knows that they like to take it easy. The dough does not tolerate the heat of the hands, so it is handled quickly. If you knead it too much, the fat will soften, the nuts will release their oil, and the rolls will spread during baking. It also helps if you let the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Cold rolls hold their shape much better and do not crack in the oven.
Starch gives the dough fragility and strength at the same time
When a few spoonfuls of fine starch, potato or corn, are added to the dough, it does exactly what we want, the rolls are so soft to the bite that they almost melt, but at the same time you can easily transfer them from the baking sheet, wrap them and store them in a box. No crumbling, no breaking, just a beautiful fragile texture.
Recipe for firm vanilla rolls
Raw materials:
- 250 g plain flour
- 50 g of potato or corn starch
- 80 g of powdered sugar
- 200 g of softened butter
- 100 g finely ground walnuts
- 1 vanilla sugar or seeds from a vanilla pod
- icing sugar and vanilla sugar for coating
Procedure:
Mix the flour with the starch, icing sugar, vanilla and ground nuts in a bowl. Add the softened butter and quickly work into a smooth dough. If it crumbles, press it down with your hands, but don’t knead too long so it doesn’t heat up. Wrap the dough in foil and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. Take small pieces from the cooled dough, shape them quickly into rolls and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake at 170°C for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden on the tips. While they are still warm, carefully roll them in powdered sugar with vanilla and let them cool. Keep them in a closed box where they will soften nicely within a few days.
According to many housewives, the best rolls are those that have time. If you let them sit for two to three days in a well-closed jar, they will have time to develop their taste. The vanilla beautifully scents the sugar, the nuts soften and the dough comes together. Then you have rolls on the table that taste exactly as you remember them from your childhood.
