Recipe: Elephant Ears

Elephant Ears
From: The Food Processor Bread Cookbook
Makes 2 dozen rolls

1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
8 tablespoons sugar
1 package yeast
1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon-Nut Topping:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon of sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve yeast and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in egg.

Place steel blade in food processor bowl. Measure flour, cold butter, 3 tablespons of the remaining sugar and salt into work bowl. Process until mixed, about 15 seconds.

Turn on processor and slowly drizzle yeast mixture through feed tube into flour mixture. Drizzle just enough of the remaining water into flour so mixture forms a ball that cleans sides of bowl. Process until dough turns around the bowl about 25 times. Turn off processor and let dough stand 1 to 2 minutes.

Turn on processor and very slowly drizzle in enough remaining water to make dough soft, smooth and satiny but not sticky. Process until dough turns around bowl 15 times.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Shape into a ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll out each half into a 12-inch square. Mix remaining 4 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons room temperature butter and cinnamon. Spread half of the mixture over each square of dough. roll up dough jelly-roll fashion. Pinch seam to seal. Cut each roll into 1-inch slices. Place slices 3 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with waxed paper and let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.

Roll out each slice to 5-inch circle. Remove waxed paper. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle Cinnamon-Nut Topping into each circle. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls until brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on racks.

Cinnamon-Nut Topping
Mix together sugar, chopped pecans or walnuts and cinnamon. Sprinkle over rolls as recipe directs.