Sweet Tahini Rolls

Measure the yeast, sugar and warm milk into a measuring cup with a spout, combine well, and then leave the mix to sit for a good 5 minutes until it starts to bubble.

Add the flour and salt into the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix on low speed, and then while continuing to mix, slowly pour in the yeast mixture.  The mix will be stiff so stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl to help it along if needed.  Pour in the melted butter and continue to mix for another minute.

Add the egg and then increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes so that the dough can be well kneaded.  Scrape the dough into a ball – it should still be slightly sticky – and place it into a bowl that’s been lightly greased with olive oil.  Cover the dough and leave it to rise in a warm place for about an hour, until it’s doubled in size.

My new thing for rolling out dough/cookies is to wrap my counter with plastic wrap – so do this, or, lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a large rectangle – about 14 x 20 inches.  Drizzle the tahini over the whole rectangle and then use a spoon to spread it out evenly, leaving a 1/2-inch border clear at the 2 shorter ends.  Stir together the sugar and cinnamon and then sprinkle this evenly all over the tahini.  Allow this creation to rest for 5 to 10 minutes until the sugar looks wet.

Starting on a long side, roll the rectangle into a long sausage and trim away the uneven ends (if you wish, I cooked mine!).  Cut the log evenly into 10 or so approximately 2-inch pieces.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and place each piece cut side down on the baking sheet, leaving a generous amount of room between all (I use large half sheets, mine all fit onto one, use 2 baking sheets if you need to).  Gently flatten each roll into a 3-inch-ish circle, cover the whole thing with a damp towel and leave the rolls to rest for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Brush the tops and sides of all of the rolls with the egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for about 18 minutes, or until golden and cooked through and then allow the rolls to rest for about 20 minutes before serving.