I made these delicious cardamom and cinnamon owl rolls from a recipe on Joanna’s blog.
They’re light, briochey and very cute. The original post is here, and I promised Jo that I’d put some photos up to try and explain the unusual shaping instructions.
Work each piece of dough into a rectangle, then smear it with butter and sprinkle over the combined cinnamon and sugar (the cardamom is mixed into the dough itself). Roll it up tightly longways, so that you get a long thin roll, rather than a short, fat one.
Cut each log into triangles as shown…
Stand each little pyramid on its base…
…and give it a good squish to flatten it out…
Most of the rolls ended up looking like cute little owls’ heads…
…but this one reminded me of a curled up echidna!
The combination of spices gives the rolls a subtle, exotic flavour and the use of plain flour results in a soft, almost delicate crumb. Pete and Big Boy loved these!
Edit: for those unfamiliar with the echidna, it’s an unusual Australian native, one of only two monotremes (mammals that lay eggs rather than birthing live young, the other being the platypus). It’s an Aussie icon, and its image graces our 5c coin. Do take a look at the Wikipedia article – the echidna has some interesting physical characteristics (not the least of which is a four-headed reproductive organ!).
They look completely luscious! I’m going to put a link to this post on my old post as the photos are so beautiful and I couldn’t explain it better, well we know I couldn’t… :)
Your wish is my command, Jo… :)
Haha now I get why they’re called Owl rolls! I was trying to figure out how they were made for ages. They look great Celia! :D
You and Joanna are both ganging up to give me a permanent longing for these owl / echidna rolls. Making pastries is so not my thing, but I’m not likely to be able to try these any other way.
I fell in love with the echidna when I was in Oz – we came across several when out and about. I just loved the way they would curl up into a ball as soon as they were spotted, but if we stayed still for long enough, they would unroll and then got curious and come snuffling around our feet – so sweet!
Celia – is it ok if I have one of those for breakfast?!
Sure, Anna, but you’ll have to make your own… :)
Lorraine, they’re all gone today! All 28 of them! Pete’s eaten about 10, Big Boy took some to school and the neighbours took some as well. Pete thought they were even better the today (I made them yesterday afternoon)…
Choclette, this is really more a bread than a pastry in construction. I mixed the dough by stirring the dry ingredients together (I used dried yeast), then rubbing in the butter, then working in the milk and egg. The only thing was that it took ages and ages to rise – about four hours for the first rise and an hour for the second – a combination of the plain flour and our cooler weather at the moment.
So glad you knew about the echidna – they really are so unique and quite lovable for a spikey creature! :)
Very cute! A cunning way to make a sort of croissant shape without individual triangles being rolled up. I bet they are delicious with that combination of cardamom and cinnamon. They even look quite brioche like in their crumb. I waaaannnt one nooooow….please?!
Surely you could post one to me the next time you make some (which is sure to be on the weekend judging by the success of the last batch)? I have just figured out a cunning plan for being able to post my cheques into the bank for processing rather than having to go in myself, a plan to spite their rules/threats/dire warnings. Now I just have to work on a plan to convince you to post baked goodies to me. Then all will be well with the world (my world anyway) :)
Or….you could make some! :) But I will make you some if you like, though I’m not sure how you’ll go with the milk? Maybe I could try with soy for you…I’ve found one I like!
If I could have these every day for breakfast I would be happy.
Yep, so would my husband. :)
They look so good, going to have to try them soon. Thanks for the step by step photos, makes the cutting and squashing process make perfect sense!
They look sensational Celia. I will have to give them a go. I love the idea of cardomom in the dough. I know cinnamon slows down the yeast when in the dough so I wonder if cardomom does. Whatever – the wait will be worth it if done half as well as yours.
Craig
Thanks C!
Craig, thanks! You might well be right about the cardamon slowing down the dough. I never bake bread with plain flour, so I have no idea how the yeast works with the lower protein flour, but it did result in a very tender crust. I think this shaping can be adapted to different breads too…
Plain flour= All purpose?
I love these- they look delicious and rather cheery! They make me smile, anyway.
I am also rather happy with the mixture of cinnamon and cardamom- do they taste a little like chai without the tea?
Anyway, I’m making them this week if it would only cool down a little- I don’t like to bake when I’m running the A/C.
Thanks for the tutorial- your pictures are perfect!
Heidi, yes, plain = AP. I think Jo’s uploading a printable tutorial on her site soon. And yes, they do taste a little like chai, only without the cloves (which Pete doesn’t like). I think the shape would suit other types of bread too. Pete’s asked me to make another batch today! :)
Oh, I love cardamom. (I had to check. I think we say –mom, not –mon. Interesting.) Summer’s setting in and I don’t bake much but these would be a hit..
And I learned what an echidna was when a friend from Australia gave my boys the counting book “1 Wooly Wombat.” Echidna was in that…had never heard of it..
Made them at the weekend and enjoying them for breakfast – very decadent! Thanks for the excellent shaping guide, really made sense. I think mine need rolling more thinly to get better eyes though!
So glad they worked, C! I’ve made a second batch too – spread one log with fig and cinnamon jam. It worked surprisingly well!
Oh I’m sorry I got in a muddle there. I was a bit busy that day as you know!
I’ve amended the original post and made a pdf file and hopefully it is clear now. I’ve added two of your lovely photos all credited clearly I hope!
Click to access owl-rolls.pdf
@ Babette you are right! I can’t spell! It is cardamom with an m. (hangs head in shame)
Ah well. That’s what the edit function is for. :)
C, made my first batch on Sunday night and they turned out great, the look and the smell were fantastic, very more-ish. The beautiful Jane took the survivors to work (IKEA) today. The Swedes and the Danes were elbowing each other out of the way. There were plenty of compliments and requests for more batches. Next time I will bake them on site, the smell and the sugary crunch on top takes them to another level. M
Moo, you’re a star. :)
[…] saw it first here on Celia’s blog, Fig jam and Lime […]
Celia-
They are absolutely delicious! And so cute! I’m so glad I made them.
You are right- the glaze is like a Krispy Kreme topping- but hey weren’t photographing well- they looked very dry and I wanted them to look at least good- because they are scrumptious.
Thanks for the motivation and the recipe.
Mmmmm I adore cinnamon scrolls, and this shape looks great. Might try it out next time.
Moo, may I call you Moo, those are far better than anything I have ever made and you have already taken them to the next level. Have you been making them all your life, do you have swedish genes? They are drop dead gorgeous !
Celia, Heidiannie and everyone who wants to bake these in cups – I just had a look around on the internet and the recipe is here too
http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/cinncardbuns.htm
only they don’t call them owl buns, that’s just me and of course in australia they are now called echinda buns.
Hope this helps! I visited Heidiannie’s blog and tried to leave a comment saying how pretty her buns were but encountered an error…. such is life
Happy to be called Moo, I must have had beginners luck as they were my first batch.
I changed the rolling of the dough to be thinner, for no better reason than thinner dough = more flavouring
and cut triangles that were taller than they were wide, so when I squashed them they went sort of roundish.
Next time I want to experiment with 2 variations:
marzipan + almond meal, and
hazelnut/chocolate spread + hazelnut meal…………………M