Bill Granger's Iced Cinnamon Scrolls

Bill Granger is perhaps one of Sydney's most well-known cooks. His simple, yet delicious recipes that showcase quality ingredients draw Sydney-siders from miles around to his cafes and restaurants in Darlinghurst, Woollahra and Surrey Hills.

One of my favourite recipes of his comes from his cook book, Bills Sydney Food (2000, Murdoch): Iced Cinnamon Snail Rolls. We made them just last night; the dough turned out soft and crumbly, and the sweetness of the cinnamon mixture and the icing went with it perfectly. The addition of sultanas and currents lend a fruity flavour as well. They were delicious, and here's the recipe!

Iced Cinnamon Snail Rolls

INGREDIENTS

14 g dried yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
125 g unsalted butter, cubed
4 cups plain flour
1 pinch of salt
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup sultanas
80 g unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

1. To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a small bowl, and set aside. Meanwhile, place milk and cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring occasionally.

2. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add white sugar and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, add eggs, milk and yeast mixture, and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for 6-8 minutes, adding flour if dough is too sticky. Add the currants and sultanas during the last 2 minutes of kneading. Place the dough into a large, lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Keep the bowl on a bench at room temperature and leave the dough to rise for 30 minutes to an hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

4. Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll it out into a 23 x 60 cm rectangle. Brush generously with the melted butter (but save some for later) and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.

5. Roll the dough up lengthwise to make a log. Cut the roll, seam side down, into 2 cm thick slices and place on a greased baking tray, leaving 2 cm between each slice. Brush the tops with the remaining butter and cover loosely to rise again, until doubled.

6. In an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees celcius, bake the rolls for 20 - 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes.

7. To make the icing, place the icing sugar, warm water and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle onto cooled rolls, and serve.