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Recipe: The Contented Vegan’s Sweet Sunday Rolls

We'd eat these any day of the week

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In need of a lockdown pick-me-up? These delicious sweet Sunday rolls courtesy of Peggy Brusseau, author of The Contented Vegan, certainly won’t disappoint.

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Recipe: The Contented Vegan’s Sweet Sunday Rolls

Although these are quick to prepare, it’s a pleasure to take your time making them and to serve them as a bit of a treat. They’re perfect for a relaxed Sunday morning with a pot of coffee and the newspapers, and perhaps a bowl of fresh berries.

Serves 4. Preparation time: 40 minutes.

Ingredients

40g (1½oz/½ cup) desiccated (shredded) coconut
100g (3½oz/½ cup, lightly packed) soft light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
300g (10½oz/2½ cups) plain (all-purpose) or wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour, plus extra for dusting your work surface
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
80g (2¾oz) coconut oil, plus a little extra for greasing the dish
150ml (5fl oz) plant milk
100g (3½oz/²/³ cup) raisins
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
90ml (3fl oz) maple or barley malt syrup

Options & Variations

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the rolls before baking them, to create a slightly crispy surface.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F), and grease a 28cm (11¼in) round baking dish or similar ovenproof dish with a generous coating of coconut oil. Sprinkle the desiccated coconut over the greased dish, jostling it a little to distribute evenly.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the coconut-coated baking dish.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. Add the coconut oil and use a table knife to ‘cut’ it into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the plant milk and stir well, then knead to a firm dough using your hands.

Lightly flour a work surface. Turn out the dough and shape it into a rough rectangle. Use a rolling pin (or simply press with your hands) to flatten it into a bigger rectangle of about 20 × 30cm (8 × 12in), with a thickness of about 1.5cm (5/8in).

With the long edge closest to you, spread the raisins over the dough, leaving a gap of about 3cm (1¼in) all around the edges. Lightly press the raisins into the dough. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over the raisins, and drizzle with the olive oil and half of the syrup.

Roll the dough into a log from the long edge, working away from you. Press firmly as you roll to ensure that the filling is properly embedded. Check that the ends and the long edge are closed – if necessary, dampen those edges and press together to seal.

Using a serrated bread knife, cut the roll into slices about 3cm (1¼in) thick. Lay the slices flat in the prepared baking dish, leaving a little room between each slice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the rolls are baking, cut a piece of baking paper large enough to cover the baking dish. When the rolls are cooked, set the dish on a wire rack or trivet. Lay the baking paper over the dish and put a large plate or tray upside-down on top of the paper, with the baking dish centred underneath. Using oven gloves, carefully lift the dish and plate, holding them firmly together as you turn them over.

Leave the baking dish upside down on the plate for 2–3 minutes, then carefully lift off. Collect and spread any coconut mixture left in the dish over the rolls, which are now upside down. Drizzle the remaining syrup over the rolls while they are still hot. Cool for 10–15 minutes, before gently pulling them away from each other. Eat while still warm.