Apple pie cinnamon scrolls with cream cheese frosting

Serves 12

Prep time - 10mins

Resting time - 1.5 hours

Cooking time - 25 mins

• Apple Pie Filling 
• 5 apples (Kanzi apples are recommended, but use what you can find) 
• 1 tablespoon butter  
• 2 tablespoons sugar Dough 
• 3 cups (450g) plain flour, plus extra for kneading 
• 2 teaspoons (10g) instant dried yeast  
• 1/2 cup (125g) plain yoghurt, at room temperature  
• 1/4 cup (45g) raw sugar  
• 1/3 teaspoon fine salt  
• 1 cup (250ml) milk Cinnamon Sugar  
• 1/2 cup (90g) raw sugar  
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature Cream Cheese Frosting  
• 1 cup (140g) icing sugar  
• 2/3 cup (70g) cream cheese

1. To make the dough, add flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well. Add in yeast to the well and cover with flour, then add yoghurt, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Hiding the yeast is important to keep it away from the salt, which would otherwise deactivate the yeast. Set aside. 
2. Warm the milk in a saucepan until it is around 40-50°C. If you do not have a thermometer, you can use your finger to test—the milk should feel fairly warm but still comfortable and not hot. Pour the warm milk into the flour mix and, using a wooden spoon, combine until the dough becomes too thick to stir. Flour the benchtop and place dough on top. Knead for 7-8 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, adding more flour only as needed to stop the dough sticking to your hands and the benchtop. Wash out your mixing bowl, dry, and then lightly oil. Place dough into the bowl then cover and leave in a warm spot for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the apple pie filling. Core the apples and dice into 1cm cubes. Place the butter, sugar, and diced apples into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 20 mins, stirring occasionally, or until the apples have completely softened. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. In a small bowl, make the cinnamon sugar by mixing the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You will use the butter in the next step. Grease a large, deep dish baking tray (ours was 33cm x 25cm) with butter or oil and also set this aside. 
4. After the dough has risen, flour the bench and roll out the dough to a large rectangle. Take time to create an even thickness, around 1cm thick. Spread the set aside butter over the entire surface then top with an even layer of the cinnamon sugar. Try to get the whole rectangle evenly covered. Next, spread the cooled apple mixture on top and again spread evenly. 
5. Now it is time to roll the log. Starting from the long end and roll up the side to create a long log. You want to roll it fairly tightly, but without squishing the dough. Once you have created a log it is time to cut it into 12 even slices. The best way to do this is with dental floss, though a very sharp knife will work. Place each slice, with the cut side facing up, into the greased tray. Preheat the oven to 180°C and set aside the covered tray of scrolls in a warm spot to rise for a further 30 minutes while the oven preheats. 
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the scrolls are golden brown on top. Brush freshly baked scrolls with extra butter to get the nice gloss top—and you can absolutely enjoy them while warm or allow to cool and follow the next step to frost.
7. To make the optional cream cheese frosting, sift icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Add cream cheese and vanilla. Whisk together until smooth, then spread on top on cooled scrolls. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the panty overnight, or in the fridge for a few days.

Recipe and image courtesy of Aussie Apples (aussieapples.com.au)

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