Story submitted by Nanci Schultz Stein
The Story Behind the Recipe:
I am not sure where to begin. My mom, Sophie Schultz, a.k.a. Nonnie to her grandchildren was one of the most artistic people I ever knew. She could knit, crochet, paint, sculpt, needlepoint and BAKE. And she always looked as if she just walked out of the beauty salon and out of a boutique dress salon. She was best known for her baking. Everything she made was a work of art and perfect and delicious. Of course, I got none of her talent. That isn't bad enough, but she refused to show me how to bake anything or share any specific recipe.
She was best known for her delicious, flakey, can't eat just one, PECAN ROLLS. Anything anyone had ay kind of event/dinner she was asked to bring some. There was never any left.
I asked her time and again to show me hot to make them and share the recipe. She claimed she did not have a written recipe. After her death in 2001, I inherited her recipe boxes. My son and I gather all her Pecan Roll recipes or pieces and parts of recipes and came up with the one printed here. We are not sure it is the exact one, but it is pretty close. We tried any years ago but it came up short. Working with year dough is an art.
My covid winter will be taken up with trying to recreate these delicacies. If anyone bakes these and finds them to be irresistible, I would to love to hear from them.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
Cake Yeast
Salt
Cream
Sugar
High Gluten Flour
1/2 lb Butter
2 egg yolks
Cinnamon
Pecans
Corn Syrup
Brown Sugar
Instructions:
Dissolve .6 ounces of cake yeast in 3/4c. cream heated to (110-120 degrees) in a bowl held over another bowl filled with hot water. Add 1/2 t. sugar, add a little more sugar as needed. Wait until it bubbles-taking over the bowl.
Sift together 3 C. flour (high gluten), 1/4 c sugar, and 1/2 t. salt. Cut 1/2 lb butter into the sifted ingredients. Mix 2 egg yolks in 3/4 c. lukewarm cream. Add egg/cream mixture and yeast to sifted ingredients/butter. Mix using a Kitchen-aid mixer with dough hook. Add flour as needed to create a dough consistency; mix well. Punch down dough, cover and let sit at room temperature for several hours, until doubled in size. Grease bowl, cover with wax paper and refrigerate over night.
Hand knead dough on floured cloth. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a square shape. Melt butter, adding cinnamon and sugar. Dust pastry with mixture and roll tight. Cut into 16 pieces.
Turnover oven onto warm. Use pastry brush to coat muffin tins with melted butter. Add three pecans. Melt 6 T. butter, 1/4 c corn syrup and 3/4 c brown sugar over stove. Fill muffin tins with melted mixture. Place cut rolls on each tin and cover with cloth. Place a pan filled with hot water on the bottom self. Place muffin tins on shelf above. After rolls have poofed (double in size) bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Cake Yeast
Salt
Cream
Sugar
High Gluten Flour
1/2 lb Butter
2 egg yolks
Cinnamon
Pecans
Corn Syrup
Brown Sugar
Instructions:
Dissolve .6 ounces of cake yeast in 3/4c. cream heated to (110-120 degrees) in a bowl held over another bowl filled with hot water. Add 1/2 t. sugar, add a little more sugar as needed. Wait until it bubbles-taking over the bowl.
Sift together 3 C. flour (high gluten), 1/4 c sugar, and 1/2 t. salt. Cut 1/2 lb butter into the sifted ingredients. Mix 2 egg yolks in 3/4 c. lukewarm cream. Add egg/cream mixture and yeast to sifted ingredients/butter. Mix using a Kitchen-aid mixer with dough hook. Add flour as needed to create a dough consistency; mix well. Punch down dough, cover and let sit at room temperature for several hours, until doubled in size. Grease bowl, cover with wax paper and refrigerate over night.
Hand knead dough on floured cloth. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into a square shape. Melt butter, adding cinnamon and sugar. Dust pastry with mixture and roll tight. Cut into 16 pieces.
Turnover oven onto warm. Use pastry brush to coat muffin tins with melted butter. Add three pecans. Melt 6 T. butter, 1/4 c corn syrup and 3/4 c brown sugar over stove. Fill muffin tins with melted mixture. Place cut rolls on each tin and cover with cloth. Place a pan filled with hot water on the bottom self. Place muffin tins on shelf above. After rolls have poofed (double in size) bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.