Gingerbread Sweet Rolls with Cranberry Compote

This is a special post and it’s the start of something new here. Now that my food blog is out of retirement, it basically means I need to start playing catch up. There are several recipes we need to enjoy from many of the Man Card Series.

We’ll enjoy them soon. I promise. For now, we need to celebrate Man Card Book 13 with Aiden’s special sweet roll recipe that won over Cora’s heart in My Gingerbread Man.

When I started writing the short story, I did what I’ve always done and mentioned a recipe. The difference between this book and the recipe- when I would write gingerbread sweet rolls, I wanted one. Then I realized if I wanted one of those delicious rolls, someone else would want one, too.

Guess what I did? I pulled my special pumpkin sweet roll recipe out of the vault and changed it up. Instead of pumpkin and a few other ingredients, we would enjoy gingerbread additions in each element of the new recipe. It took a full day prepping but y’all, it worked. Look!

Cora loved this recipe in the book.

Better yet, my hubby loved the recipe.

The sweet rolls will take a little time to make but it’s so worth it. Your family will love them and they’re perfect for the holidays. If you love making bread, then have fun diving in and kneading the heck out of that beautiful dough.

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Gingerbread Sweet Rolls with Cranberry Compote

Recipe created by Terra Kelly

Prep: 1 hour 40 minutes (includes proof time)

Cook: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 16-18

Ingredients:

Dough         

5 - 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus extra ¼ cup for surface)

1 package dry active yeast  

1 cup half and half   

1/3 cup unsalted butter      

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt    

2 eggs

1/3 cup molasses     

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp Ground Ginger (depending on how much ginger you want to add)

½ tsp Nutmeg

½ tsp ground Cloves

1 tsp Cinnamon

Filling for rolls    

1 cup cranberry compote (recipe below) 

1 cup brown sugar   

1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

Cranberry Compote

2 ½ cups fresh cranberries

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar       

4-6 Tbsp half and half        

1 tsp vanilla

4 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a large baking dish, or 9x13 pan with butter. TIP: Be sure to have a calibrated thermometer available.

In mixer, with paddle attachment, blend 2 1/2 cups flour and yeast on low speed.

In small saucepan on medium low heat, whisk together half and half, sugar, butter, and salt. You want the temperature of the milk mixture to be between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit before adding to yeast and flour mixture. When ready, slowly pour milk mixture into flour and mix on low speed until well incorporated (don’t over mix). Next, add eggs, one at a time, and then add molasses. Mix well.

If you continue using your mixer, add more flour (about 2 1/2 cups - add more if too sticky) and mix until incorporated. Swap paddle attachment for bread hook, and knead dough for 10 minutes.

If you mix by hand, mix with spoon 2 1/2 cups of flour (add more if too sticky). Mix until well incorporated. Knead dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.

Place in oiled bowl and turn dough to oil both sides. Cover dough with damp towel and let sit for one hour, or until dough has doubled in size in a warm area.

In small saucepan over medium heat, add cranberries, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ cup water. Cook down until cranberries have burst and mixture resembles a thick compote. Let cool.

When dough is ready, place on a floured surface. Roll out until dough is about 1/4 inch thick. In separate bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar. Then spread butter mixture over dough. Next, spread cranberry compote over butter and brown sugar mixture. Lightly sprinkle with ginger. Carefully roll up dough and then cut into slices about one inch thick. Place on greased pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Rolls are ready when golden brown and internal temperature reaches 200-210 degrees F.

Enjoy!