Allyson Gofton - Snails

Oozing with indulgent flavours of caramel, cardamom and vanilla, these decadent sweet buns will be worth every minute taken to make them.

Ingredients

• 2¼ tsp active dry yeast or 2 tblsp Surebake yeast
• ¼ cup warm water
• pinch sugar
• 5½ cups high grade white flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups water (from the cold tap)
• 200 grams butter softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ cup caster sugar
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots (soaked for 15 minutes with 2 tblsp brandy)

Method

1. Mix the yeast, ¼ cup water and pinch sugar together and set aside for about 3 minutes until the yeast dissolves and becomes slightly frothy. (If you are using Surebake the mixture will become porridge-like).
2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
3. Pour in the yeasty liquid and almost all of the second measure of water. Mix with one hand adding the remaining water if needed to form a sticky mass.
4. Turn out on to a floured board and just bring together. It will look untidy. Cover with a clean slightly dampened tea towel and leave for 10-15 minutes.
5. Now begin to knead the dough on a lightly floured board. It should take about 7-10 minutes to form a soft, supple dough.
6. Transfer to a well-greased bowl. Brush the dough top with oil. Cover with plastic wrap then a towel and set aside until it has doubled in bulk. In summer this will take about 1½ hours and in winter 2-2½ hours.
7. Blend 2/3rds of the butter with the brown sugar and vanilla essence and spread evenly over the base of a 28cm-30cm round cake tin. Sprinkle over the pecans or walnuts.
8. When the dough has doubled in bulk, turn it out on to a lightly floured board and gently deflate the dough.
9. Press or gently roll the dough out to a 25cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread the remaining butter over the top of the dough, leaving a 1cm border all the way around. Sprinkle over the cardamom, caster sugar and chopped apricots.
10. From the long side, roll the dough up as tightly as possible, pressing the long edge together firmly. Cut the dough into 8 or 9 pieces of the same width. Place each piece evenly around the sides of the cake tin with one piece in the centre. Cover with greased plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has doubled in bulk. Bake at 190ºC for 35-40 minutes until the dough is well risen and cooked. Cool the snails for 10 minutes before turing upside down on to a large plate to serve. Each roll will tear apart easily. Be careful as the caramel is very hot.

Cooks Tips

If you are using a loose-bottomed cake tin, wrap the outside of the tin in foil before baking, in case any butter seeps out from the join.

Find more delicious recipes by Allyson here.