Recipe: Apple cinnamon rolls with salted caramel icing

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It’s always nice to eat seasonally, but part of living with superabundance is learning how to store surplus for leaner times. This is why we pickle and jam, dehydrate and freeze, pack things in salt or let them rot into vinegar. Some foods, bless them, don’t require any labor to make them last — winter squash, root vegetables and apples can remain fresh for months after harvest.

Of course, some crops are more suited to long-term storage than others. With its higher water content, acorn squash can get mushy and rot after just a couple weeks, whereas a properly stored Hubbard squash can stay fresh for six months. Apples, too, vary in their storability — and some of my favorites, like golden russet, winesap and honeycrisp, are among the best.

Apples are easy to come by, but finding unusual varieties can take some doing. Chances are, you know someone with a productive tree, which I can say from personal experience is superior to having a tree of your own (unless you have time to keep up with harvesting and preservation or don’t mind letting the neighborhood help themselves). If you’re very lucky, you know someone with a scraggly tree dripping with fragrant fruit, preferably of unidentified and/or antique origin.

Fortunately, a buddy of mine out in Vernonia has one such tree, and last October he brought me a bag of round, hard apples with russeted skin so black-red that the color bleeds into the flesh. He wasn’t sure of the cultivar (I think they’re probably Arkansas black), but assured me that they’re good for storing. I stashed them in the cooler on my porch and forgot them there until last week, when I was pleasantly surprised to find them rot-free and ready to eat.

In appreciation of one of the Northwest’s top crops (and America’s second-most popular fruit, losing by a hair to bananas), not only do I present a scrumptious way to keep the doctor at bay — an ideal brunch or coffee break treat —but I also have a new video to share, in collaboration with our play cousins at “Oregon Experience.” Makes 12 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1 tsp fine sea salt

2 ¼ teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast

Filling:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 ½ cups peeled, cored and diced apples (about 3 medium-sized apples)

¼ cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ cup apple butter

½ cup chopped roasted/unsalted hazelnuts

Icing:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup packed brown sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon rum or whiskey (optional)

2 tablespoons half and half

1 cup powdered sugar

Topping:

1 tablespoon flaky sea salt

⅓ cup chopped roasted/unsalted hazelnuts

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the dough hook attached, combine the babka ingredients. Mix on medium until fully combined, then increase speed to medium-high and knead for 7-8 minutes, until a soft, sticky dough is formed. [If not using a stand mixer, stir the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until a shaggy dough is formed, then knead for 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until a soft and sticky dough is formed.] Don’t worry if it seems like a springy ball doesn’t come together. Move the dough to a buttered bowl, cover, and allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1-1 ½ hours.
2. While the dough is rising, start the filling. Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, then add the apples and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle about a tablespoon of the mixture over the apples. Saute the apples until they’re lightly golden brown and tender but still have texture, about 6-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the apples cool to room temperature.
3. When the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and roll it to a rectangle about 16 x 24 inches. Using an offset spatula or back of a spoon, spread the apple butter evenly across the dough, spoon the cooked apples evenly over the apple butter, then sprinkle on the hazelnuts.
4. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
5. Roll the dough away from you, using a bench scraper as needed to keep it from sticking to your work surface, until you have a nice, snug log. Cut the log into 12 rolls, then place them evenly in the prepared pan. If some of the filling falls out, just tuck it back into the swirls of the rolls. Drape a kitchen towel over the top and return to the warm spot to get nice and puffy, another 45 minutes or so.
6. In the last 10 minutes of proofing, preheat the oven to 350o. When the rolls have risen enough, bake until they’re golden brown and a thermometer inserted in the center reads 190o-200o, about 30-35 minutes (depending on how wet the apple filling was, this can vary, but you might need to drape a sheet of foil over the top halfway through to prevent it from overbrowning).
7. While the rolls are cooling, make the icing. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, and when it begins to sputter and brown, add the brown sugar, pinch of salt, vanilla and rum or whiskey (if using). When the sugar has dissolved and thickened, carefully whisk in the half and half until it’s fully blended. Remove from the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth, then spoon the icing over the rolls.
8. Sprinkle on the flake salt and hazelnuts and serve. These are best the same day they’re baked, but you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.