What to make for breakfast on Valentine’s Day? These for me, myself and I! Delicious and oh so delicious warm out of the oven, just waiting to be devoured. These are supposed to look like hearts in a circle, and I suppose that they do, and have been making the rounds on social media in the lead up to Valentine’s Day. These could also be made with Cardamom instead of cinnamon, or even raspberry jam or chocolate.
Ingredients
for the dough
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup (113 grams) ripe sourdough starter
1 1/4 cup milk, warmed to between 100-110F
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
for the filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons ground Cinnamon
Additionally
1 egg whisked with 2 tablespoons milk for egg wash
2-3 tablespoons turbinado sugar (optional)
Directions
Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle. Heat milk and butter, combine with your sourdough starter, and pour into the well. Add egg and mix until fully combined. Turn out onto a well-floured counter and knead until you have cohesive dough. It should be fairly soft and supple. Set
aside in a warm, draft free place for a couple of hours in a greased bowl until it has doubled in size.
In the meantime, make the filling. In a small work bowl, combine butter, dark brown sugar, and ground cardamom. Mix together with a small spatula or spoon until creamy and smooth. Whisk together egg and milk for egg wash.
Once the dough has completed its rise, you are ready to form the rolls. Roll the entire dough to a 18 x 14 inch rectangle. Divide the filling in half and cover the length of the dough on the right side and left side, from the edge to approximately 4 inches in, leaving the 6 inches in the middle filling-free, Roll,
jelly roll style inwards from the edge to where the filling stops in from either side. Now fold the entire thing in half, putting one rolled side, connected to the other roll on the other side (this makes the “heart”) Slice into 10 equal pieces and place in round pan, leaving a little bit of room for proofing. Re-
definite the hearts as needed and if you need to, add place a mini dough ball in the middle.
Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise for about another 30 minutes. While proofing, preheat oven to 400F.
Just before baking, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (optional). Bake swirls for 35-38 minutes, until tops are golden brown. Take out of the oven to a cooling rack and let cool 5 minutes or so. Ready to eat!
