Where I live, we have just come through a bit of a cold snap. Nothing too serious, but just enough to justify a little extra baking and some warm spices.

These are a slightly spicy, slightly less sweet riff on cinnamon rolls. In fact, if you were looking for cinnamon rolls and happened to land here by accident (welcome!), you could substitute the ginger for cinnamon and you would be ok. Before you do though, give the ginger a chance, you may find something you love.

Makes 12 rolls (see notes)

Ingredients:

• Dough:
  • 1 cup milk (most kinds of milk will do, but whole dairy milk does give the best texture)
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 4 cups AP flour
  • 2 tsp quick-rise yeast
  • 1 tsp cardammom
  • 1/2 tsp salt
• Filling:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
  • 2 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 cup sugar
• Extras:
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare dough
   • Add butter (1/4 cup) to milk (1 cup) and heat until butter melts, let cool to room temperature
   • Stir together yeast (2 tsp), cardamom (1 tsp) and salt (1/2 tsp)
   • Combine milk mixture and yeast mixture in a large bowl (I suggest using a stand mixer if that is available to you, otherwise roll up your sleeves to show off the enviable arm muscles you will have by the time this is done)
   • Add egg yolk and mix in
   • Add flour 1 cup at a time to the milk and yeast mixture, keep mixing as you go – you may need less than the full 4 cups
   • Knead dough for 7-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic (I told you about the arm muscles!)
   • Place in an oiled (or buttered) bowl and cover with a dish cloth, set aside for an hour in a warm place until dough has doubled in size
2. Prepare filling
   • Stir together butter (1/2 cup), ginger (2 tbsp) and sugar (1/2 cup)
3. Assemble and decorate
   • Roll out the dough (see note)
   • Spread filling evenly across dough, leaving a little bit of one edge clean (about 1 inch/3 cm)
   • Roll into a snake, leaving the clean part out until the very end
   • Use a bit of water on the clean edge to help the dough adhere (so the rolls don’t unroll when you aren’t looking, they will anyway but we can pretend)
   • Slice the roll into 12 slices and arrange on an oiled casserole dish
   • Cover with a dish towel and set aside in a warm place for 45 more minutes
   • Brush with egg white and sprinkle with almonds (if using)
4. Bake
   • Preheat oven to 400 degrees f
   • Bake 8-10 minutes or until bronzed and delicious looking

Notes:

• Technically makes 10 perfect rolls ready to serve to your slightly judge-y mother in law and 2 rolls which have slightly irregular edges but are no less lovable for it.
• How thin should you roll out the dough? Let me put it to you this way, the thinner the dough the more delicious swirls of filling you will have. Need more info than that? Try to roll out a square that is about 2 feet (60 cm) by 2 feet (60 cm). Try to make the edges as straight as possible, but within reason, no need to get out a ruler here.