Sourdough Gula Melaka (Coconut Palm Sugar) Cinnamon Rolls

Gula Melaka (coconut palm) is a type of palm sugar made from boiling down sap obtained from flowering spike or tapping the palm trees. It is widely used in South East Asia in cooking and baking. 

There are similarities in the process of making maple syrup and palm sugar. The palm sap is boiled down to a syrup and sold as it is or allowed to crystallize into various shapes and sizes. Over the Christmas period, I have seen many food blogs that used sourdough to make cinnamon rolls and they looked sinfully delicious. I made mine over the weekend but  gave it an Asian twist by substituting brown sugar with gula melaka.

My family was treated to this baker's dozen of rolls over the weekend. The smell, when the tray of rolls was baking, was simply mouth watering. The rolls were soft, tender and moist and filled with sweet, sticky, cinnamon-y and gooey filling. 

It will be a good morning!

Sourdough Gula Melaka Cinnamon Rolls
(makes a baker's dozen) 
Ingredients:
Rolls -
450g bread flour 
189g mature levain 
3 eggs, cold
45g sugar 
1 Tbsp honey
91g milk, cold
170g butter, a little colder than room temperature
11g salt


Steps to rolls:

• In a mixing bowl of a mixer, add flour and salt.
• In another bowl, mix levain, eggs, sugar, honey and milk until a uniform mixture is formed.
• Mixer fitted with a dough hook, on slow speed, mix the liquid mixture into the flour mixture until a shaggy dough is form.
• Cover the mixture and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, turn the mixer to medium speed and knead the dough until a smooth dough is form (5 - 6 minutes). 
• Lower the speed of the mixer and add in butter, a tablespoon at a time, until incorporated before adding another tablespoon. The process will take 8 - 9 minutes and mix till a shiny, uniform and slack dough is formed. 
• Transfer the dough into a clean big bowl. Cover the bowl with a cling warp and allow it to sit for 2 hours at room temperature. Then transfer the bowl into the fridge and let it bulk ferment slowly for 8 hours or overnight.
• The next day, roll the chilled dough to 30 x 50 cm rectangle and spread the cinnamon filling (recipe found below) as evenly as you can over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border on the longer side further from you. This border will allow you to seal the roll when it is rolled up.
• Gently pick up the longer side nearest to you and start rolling up the dough into itself. When it reaches the other longer end, gently pinched the dough together to seal the end.
• Using a ruler, measure 4.5 cm pieces and cut it by using a dental floss or a thick string. (Slide the string under the roll and bring the ends over and in opposite directions, just like trying to tie a knot) This allow the rolls to be cut keeping its shape and without  having the filling oozing out from the end of the roll, which happens when you cut the roll with a knife.
• Place the cut rolls into a 20 x 30cm pan, lined with baking paper, cut side up, spaced out evenly.
• Let rolls rest and proof for 3 hours at room temperature.
• Bake the rolls at 180 degrees C for 35 - 40 minutes. 
• Baked rolls keep very well in the fridge in an air tight container. Just pop the rolls into the microwave for 20 seconds before you sink your teeth into a roll that will taste like they were right out of the oven. 

Gula Melaka Cinnamon Filling -
227g gula melaka, chopped
40g all purpose flour
55g butter, room temperature
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Steps to filling:

• Measure and mix all the ingredients in a bowl until a uniform mixture is formed.

 

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