Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

The great gingerbread bonanza continues...yes yes.  After I made gingerbread blondies, I wondered how a gingerbread flavoring would work in a sweet yeast roll.....and it worked out beautifully.  The bread smelled amazing.

If you aren't fond of dates you can always use a different dried fruit or just leave the fruit out.

I had planned to leave a couple rolls without icing to make french toast, but I went on some sort of crazed icing spree and forgot all about it.  Sniff.....the gingerbread french toast will have to be tried another time.  Mmm.....gingerbread french toast....I wants it!


Gingerbread Spiral Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (approx)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 package active dry yeast
3 tbls Vital Wheat Gluten
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped dates
2 tbls tub margarine, melted

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about 1/4 cup warm water.  Warm milk in the microwave and stir into the yeast mixture along with the molasses, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.  Mix in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and vital wheat gluten.  Mix in eggs.  Begin to mix in remaining flour, until mixture becomes too hard to stir.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour to for a soft, elastic dough.  Continue to knead for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Place ball of dough in a covered bowl and let rise in a warm place until doubled for an hour.

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.  Turn dough back out onto floured board.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half out into something like a 9x13 rectangle and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the dough.  Top with chopped dates.  Roll dough into a tube starting with the narrow side.  Pinch edges together.  Cut into one inch slices with a knife and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover and let rise 30 to 60 minutes until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 for 18 to 20 minutes or until done.  Remove from cookie sheets to cool.  Drizzle icing over warm rolls.

Icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbls skim milk
2 tbls maple syrup

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, until smooth and well combined.