of Food and Friends: Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with a Twist

photo from Festival of Breads

More Red Velvet! It is a favorite flavor this season. But this recipe could come with the riddle - Guess the mystery ingredient. It is a surprise at first, but actually beets were used many years ago to give Red Velvet recipes their characteristic color instead of food coloring. I like it that the beets give the recipe a uniqueness. The recipe is simple to make and seems pretty foolproof. My next baking experiment is to substitute pumpkin for the beets and cinnamon chips for the chocolate chips.
This was also a finalist in the National Festival of Breads last summer. Marilyn Blankschien, from Wisconsin, developed the recipe. She notes that freshly cooked beets will give a brighter color (allow 45-60 minutes to cook). I thought the canned beets worked well (and easy) and the dough seemed almost like Play-Doh! (For more bread recipes go to: americasbreadbasket.com or kansaswheat.com)

Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls with a Twist

Prep Time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes
Yield: Makes 16 rolls

Ingredients

DOUGH (Made in 1 to 1 ½-pound capacity bread machine)
½ cup puréed beets (canned or cooked fresh)
½ cup water (80° - 85°F)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 ¾ cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package Fleischmann’s® Active Dry Yeast

FILLING
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

ICING
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2- 3 teaspoons low-fat milk
¼ cup chopped, toasted pecans
Instructions

1. Thoroughly drain beets in a colander; puree in food processor.

2. Have all ingredients at room temperature (77° to 85°F). Place dough ingredients in bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Set bread machine for DOUGH cycle. After 5 minutes, check dough consistency. Dough should form a soft ball around paddle. If necessary, add a teaspoon of flour or water to the dough until the right consistency is reached.

3. When dough cycle is complete, place dough on lightly floured work surface and roll into a 10 x 16-inch rectangle. Brush dough with 1 tablespoon butter, keeping ½-inch away from 16-inch sides.

4. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle lengthwise over half of dough. Sprinkle and press chocolate chips over sugar-cinnamon mixture. Fold other half of dough over filling, forming a 5 x 16-inch rectangle. Press together and seal 16-inch edge.
5. Cut dough into sixteen 1 x 5-inch strips. Twist each strip and form into a coil, pinching end underneath roll to seal. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Cover; let rise until almost double, about 45 to 55 minutes.

6. Bake in preheated 375°F oven 10 to 12 minutes. Remove rolls to rack.

7. In a medium bowl, stir together all icing ingredients except nuts, beating in enough milk to make drizzling consistency. Stir until smooth and well blended. Drizzle icing on cooled rolls; sprinkle on nuts.

Nutrition Information

One roll provides approximately 207 calories; 4 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 2 g dietary fiber; 7 g fat (3 g saturated); 26 mg cholesterol; 19 mcg folate; 1 mg iron and 133 mg sodium.