Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Make the Dough
- Add the plant milk, melted coconut oil and sugar to a large bowl. The mixture should be pleasantly warm, around 37–43°C, but not hot.
- Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture. Leave for around 5 minutes, until the yeast begins to activate.
- Add the 5 cups (625 g) plain flour and salt. Mix until a shaggy dough begins to form.Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead for 5–7 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. The dough should remain soft and slightly tacky. Avoid adding lots of extra flour — add only enough to make the dough manageable.
- Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for approximately 1 hour, or until roughly doubled in size.
Prepare the Apples
- While the dough rises, peel the apples and cut them into small 5–7 mm cubes.
- Add the apple and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Add a tablespoon or two of water only if needed to prevent sticking.
- Cook gently until the apple has softened slightly but still holds its shape. We don't want apple purée, you still want those lovely little pieces through the scrolls.
- Continue cooking uncovered until any excess moisture has evaporated.
- Remove from the heat and allow the apple to cool completely before assembling the scrolls.
Don't add sugar to the apples. Keeping the Granny Smith slightly tart balances the sweet cinnamon filling and glaze.
Finish & Roll the Dough
- Once the dough has risen and roughly doubled in size, gently turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Gently shape the dough, then roll it into a large rectangle, approximately 1 cm thick. Try not to overwork the dough at this stage, all the kneading has already been done.
Add the Filling
- Mix the softened coconut oil, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together until you have a spreadable cinnamon paste.
- Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Scatter the completely cooled apple pieces evenly over the cinnamon filling.
- Starting from one of the long edges, roll the dough into a snug log. Keep it secure, but don't roll so tightly that you squash the layers.
- Place the log seam-side down and trim any particularly uneven ends if needed.
- Cut the log into approximately 12 even scrolls.
- Arrange the scrolls in lightly greased baking pans, leaving a little room between them to expand.
Second Rise
- Cover loosely with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for 30–45 minutes, until the scrolls look noticeably soft and puffy.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced.
Bake
- Bake for approximately 25–30 minutes, checking them from around the 23–25 minute mark. They're ready when lightly golden and cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for 5–10 minutes before glazing. Avoid overbaking, we want those centres lovely and soft.
Make the Liquid Chai Glaze
- Add the icing sugar, Liquid Chai Original, Bonsoy and tiny pinch of salt to a small bowl.
- Whisk until completely smooth. If the glaze is too thick, add a little extra Liquid Chai, 1 teaspoon at a time, until thick but drizzleable.
- Generously drizzle the chai glaze over the scrolls while they're still warm, allowing it to melt slightly into the cinnamon-and-apple layers.
- Serve warm and enjoy. 🤎
Notes
Keep the dough soft: This is the big one. During the 5–7 minute knead, don't continually add flour just because the dough feels a little tacky. Too much flour can give you dry, chewy scrolls.
Don't overwork it after the first rise: The main kneading has already happened. Once risen, handle the dough only as much as necessary to prepare it for rolling.
Coconut oil consistency matters: Melt it for the dough, but use softened coconut oil for the filling. Melted coconut oil in the filling is much more likely to run out while you're rolling.
Keep your apple pieces tiny: Around 5–7 mm is ideal. You get apple in each scroll without big chunks interfering with the layers.
Cool and dry the apples: Warm or watery apple can melt the filling and make the interior soggy. Let the cooked apple cool completely and make sure excess moisture has evaporated.
Keep the apples unsweetened: Granny Smith gives the scrolls a little tartness against the brown sugar and sweet glaze.
Don't pour milk over before baking: We considered this technique but decided against it for this recipe. The apple adds moisture of its own, and we want fluffy scrolls rather than risking wet or gummy bottoms.
Storage: Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days. Warm leftover scrolls briefly before serving to bring back their lovely soft texture.