Turkish Tahini Sweet Rolls with Layers of Coiled Sesame Butter
Turkish tahini sweet rolls are made with a simple yeast dough. Each roll is flattened and smeared with a mixture of sesame paste and sugar. Individual rolls are rolled up like a cinnamon roll and coiled to resemble a snail shell. Even with a butter-y, molasses topping and sesame seeds, they are not overly sweet but hit the spot for a grab-n-go satiating breakfast or a quick snack.
Servings: 8 rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 295 ml (1¼ cups) milk whole milk preferred
- 7 g (2¼ tsp or 1 pkg) active dry yeast
- 25 g (2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 480 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 2 g (¼ tsp) salt
- 28 g (2 tbsp) butter
Filling:
- 384 g (1½ cups) tahini / sesame paste
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
Toppings:
- 28 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) molasses
- 36 g (¼ cup) sesame seeds
Instructions
Activate the Yeast:
- Add the milk to a measuring cup and heat in the microwave 30-60 seconds until it reaches 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C).
- In a small bowl, add the yeast and sugar. Pour in ~59 ml (~ ¼ cup) of the warmed milk. Whisk or stir until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes or until bubbly and frothy.TIP: If the yeast doesn’t activate (bubbly and frothy), the yeast might be old, or the milk may not be warm enough. If after 15 minutes, you don’t see any changes, it’s time to start over with a fresh batch of yeast.
Make the Dough:
- In a stand mixer bowl (or large bowl), add the flour and salt. Whisk until combined.TIP: If not using a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and spoon to stir the ingredients and knead by hand on a floured work surface.
- Melt the butter (diced and heated for 20 seconds in microwave) and pour it into the remaining milk. The liquid should be warm 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C), if not, reheat in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
- With the dough hook attached and the machine on low, slowly pour in the activated yeast mixture. Pour in the milk and butter mixture. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl edges as needed.
- Knead on low to medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be tacky and pull away from the bowl edges but not sticky. Add flour or water, 1 tbsp at a time, as needed to reach a tacky consistency.TIP: If kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes.
- Mound the dough in the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to for 30 minutes. There isn’t much rise, only rest.
Make the Filling:
- In a small bowl, add tahini and sugar. Stir until combined and smooth.
Roll, Fill, & Shape the Dough:
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop the dough out onto an unfloured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces; you can eyeball the sizes or weigh them using a food scale. My batch was ~830 g total to equal 104 g each (per dough piece).
- Use your hands and the friction of the work surface to shape each dough piece into a smooth ball. To do so, simply place one hand behind a dough ball and push it along the work surface. A smooth ball forms as it is pushed. Set each dough ball aside on a plate and cover with a towel to prevent drying out.
- Flour the work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll one dough round into a very flat circle (~14 inches in diameter). Add flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to the work surface. Before the last few rolls, wipe off as much flour as you can from the work surface, you want the dough to slightly stick to make it easier to smooth on the tahini.TIP: If the dough creases as you roll, that means dough sections are sticking to the work surface, add plenty of flour. If the dough tears, no worries, it will be rolled up anyway.
- Spread an ⅛ of the tahini mixture which is about ¼ cup. If you want to be precise, the total tahini mixture weight should be around 460 grams and divided by 8 would equal 57 grams per flattened dough. Heat the measured-out tahini mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften it making it easier to spread.
- Spoon out small amounts at a time of tahini onto the dough. Use the back of the spoon and push the tahini away from you onto the dough to cover the dough as much as possible. The tahini layer should be very thin. Don’t worry if the dough tears as you spread the tahini, the tears will be covered when the dough is rolled.
- Start at one side and begin rolling the flattened dough up tightly into a rope like a cinnamon roll or soft taco.TIP: If the edge is a little floppy, add a small about of tahini mixture along the floppy edge to act as glue to seal the edge.
- Once rolled, place both hands in the center of the rope and carefully squeeze to stretch it moving your hands out to the ends of the rope. You should be able to stretch the rope to about 26 inches long. It is resilient so it shouldn’t break or tear.
- Begin at one end and very loosely coil the rope inward, leave ~⅛-inch space between each coil to allow for the dough to expand. Once coiled, press the top of the bun to flatten it out. Tuck the outer end under the coil and pinch to seal it. Then, carefully lift the coiled bun and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Cover the rolls with a towel to prevent drying out.
- Continue rolling, filling, and shaping another 3 dough pieces. Place only 4 on each baking sheet.
Add the Toppings & Bake:
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and stir in the molasses.
- Brush the butter and molasses mixture over each roll and sprinkle each with sesame seeds.
- Bake one batch while you fill and shape the remaining 4 dough pieces. Remember to add the toppings before baking.
- Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes or until dark brown. Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Storage Suggestions:
Place the cooled rolls in sealed bag or container and store at room temperature for a few days or place in the freezer for up to several months. Thaw at room temperature or place directly in the microwave (~30-45 seconds) or oven (350˚F (177˚C) for 15 minutes or until heated through.