The Classic Sweet Roll

For the dough (détrempe):

5.5 ounces (2/3 cup) milk
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons (6 grams) instant yeast
10 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose (AP) flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg

Begin by rolling about a pound and a half of Danish doughout into a square about 1/4-inch thick.

Trim up the sides a little to square it off, the spread a thin layer of vanilla buttercream frosting (I always make a point to stash leftover buttercream from other projects in the freezer) on the half of the pastry sheet closest to you.

Fold the top half down to enclosed the buttercream…

Then cut the dough into roughly 1/2-inch thick strips. (Actually, I should have rolled the dough out a little more first to make the strips longer, but I forgot. Oh, what my former pastry task master Fanuel would say!)

Now then, grasping the strip on each end, stretch the dough strip out, flipping it back and forth like you’re trying to dry the ink on a check.

When it’s long enough (and ideally, this strip should be about half again as long…) press one end down onto the board with you index finger……then use the palm of the other hand to roll the strip toward you. What you get, as you see, is an attractive twist.

Now, still holding one end of the dough strip down, drape the strip down and around the center point in a curlicue.

Bring it around and around……tuck the last half inch underneath so the pastry doesn’t unravel in the oven……and — ta da! You’re done. A nice little heap of clothes, as my former boss used to say. Again, a longer strip gives you more of a swirl…but heck, it’s close enough for blogging, am I right?

Put them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, six per sheet. At this point you can start proofing the pastries in anticipation of baking right away, or put them in the fridge overnight (you can even freeze them if you wish, for up to three months). If you don’t have a proof box, don’t worry about it. Just give them a spritz of water to keep the outer skin moist……then cover them with lightly oiled plastic wrap (or you can drape the plastic over upturned shot glasses to keep it from touching…which is what I like to do). You’ll want to give them a light spritz with water every 45 minutes or so to keep them supple.