Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Sweet Rolls

    

I have made classic caramel rolls, and cinnamon rolls but I thought I would make something a little different last weekend as far as rolls went because I am always open to trying new things when it comes to making recipes! I has some of Eric's Dad's home made jam and I thought about making some strawberries and cream rolls, but then I thought peanut butter and jelly rolls sounded even more amazing so that is what I made!  It was the perfect day to do so because it was in the single digits outside, so perfect baking weather to stay inside warm and cozy.

A while back sweet rolls intimidated me because of the whole yeast and letting it rise factor. But once you get the hang of it, it is really quite easy and simple!  These do take a bit of time, but it is the perfect weekend project, and you can enjoy the fruits of your labor after!  There is nothing more satisfying than making your own really good treat like these rolls! For the base, I used whole wheat pastry flour because it is what I have on hand and it worked perfectly!  Could you use regular AP flour?  Yes, if you prefer a lighter roll, I just like the whole wheat.  I added a bit of peanut butter and vanilla to it plus a bit of maple sugar to sweeten and it was just right. 

It kneaded up and rose nicely.  For the filling, I gave it a layer of peanut butter and jelly because  just adding the peanut butter to the dough wasn't enough peanut butter flavor for me.  They smelled amazing while baking! Once they emerged from the oven and had a little time to cool, I made a quick peanut butter maple topping that tasted like peanut butter caramel and drizzled that over them. 

They were sooo good!  Soft textured rolls just as sweet rolls should be with gooey peanut butter and jam inside and that sweet glaze was just the thing to top them off with!  Kind of like a PB and J in roll form.  If you are a big PB and J fan like me, definitely give these a try!

Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Sweet Rolls

Makes 12

Dough:

• 1/4 oz active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water ( 105-110F degrees)
• 3/4 cup warm coconut milk (I warmed it up on the stove)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed, mixed with 3 Tbsp filtered water
• 3 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or as needed

 

Filling:

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup strawberry or raspberry jelly

 

Topping:

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp sea salt

 

Instructions:

1. To make the dough, combine the yeast and the warm water plus a pinch of maple sugar and stir to dissolve. Let sit 5-10 minutes until it starts to foam.
2. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, maple sugar, salt and flax mixture and mix together to combine.
3. Add the yeast, and 2 cups of flour and mix to combine.
4. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups of flour and mix until you have a smooth dough (you may need to use your hands at the end to mix it in).
5. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for 5-10 minutes until smooth and supple. If it is too sticky add a little more flour but you want to add as little as possible because if you add too much the dough gets tough.
6. Place in an oiled bowl, and cover. Let rise for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
7. When it is ready, turn out onto the counter or a board and roll out into a 9 x 15 inch rectangle.
8. For the filling, spread the peanut butter evenly over the dough, then the jelly.
9. Roll it up (the short side down, so you have a longer roll), then cut the roll into 12 pieces.
10. Oil an 8x8 inch square baking pan, and place them in the pan.
11. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes.
12. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350F degrees.
13. When the rolls have risen for 45 minutes, place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until starting to brown and cooked through.
14. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes.
15. To make the topping, whisk the peanut butter and and maple syrup together until smooth with the sea salt.  Add a little more syrup if it seems too thick (since peanut butter varies in thickness) to pour over the rolls.
16. Drizzle the peanut butter mixture over the rolls and enjoy!

These keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerated for up to 1 week.