Snack on Vegan Schnecken

Yes, schnecken can be veganized. I wouldn’t be posting, but the sweet rolls were a hit at a party Christmas afternoon. The friends won’t know the pastries were animal free until they read this.

The earlier recipe, in this Brick “Savor Schnecken Like a Snail,” was last updated a year ago, and it stands as delicious for those who are fine with dairy and eggs. Below, however, are the refinements. The dish’s story and original cooking tips are in the earlier post. Also, I’m now using cake pans not muffin tins — ease of cleaning.

Dough

About 2 pounds of any challah or brioche “enriched” yeast dough, preferably one including whole wheat. Bakers call a bread enriched when it includes eggs, dairy and/or sugar. A 2-pound loaf is one that starts with around 4 cups of flour. (See Credits at bottom for vegan brioche.)

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins, plumped overnight in refrigerator in water or fruit juice to cover, (drain and reserve liquid)
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped. Lightly toasted is optional.
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine, vegan shortening or coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons soy or other plant milk or reserved raisin liquid
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Glaze

• 6 Tablespoons vegan margarine, vegan shortening or coconut oil
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (light or dark)
• 3 Tablespoons corn syrup (light or dark)
• 2 tablespoons soy or other plant milk or vegan eggnog or reserved raisin liquid
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups pecans, halves or pieces. Lightly toasted is optional.

Filling: Using dry fingers (it’s efficient) combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, breaking up sugar lumps. (If using whole cloves, grind 4-6 of them in coffee grinder first with cinnamon and salt.) In another small bowl, combine plant milk, shortening and vanilla.

Glaze: Combine all ingredients for glaze — except vanilla and pecans — in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until shortening is melted and sugar dissolved. Turn off heat, stir in the vanilla and leave on burner to stay warm.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured, large carving board, about 18 by 24 inches in size. Roll out dough to about 18 by 24 inches, to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. If the dough resists, wait five minutes and go again. Add just a little flour to either side to prevent sticking.

Brush the liquid filling mixture over dough, leaving dry a half-inch border along all four edges. Sprinkle all the dry filling mixture over the wet area. Sprinkle drained, plumped raisins over that. Sprinkle the nuts over that.

Beginning with a long edge, roll dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch seam and ends to seal, and roll cylinder to be seam-side down.

Grease three 8-inch round or square cake pans, even if they are non-stick. Spoon the warm glaze into each pan evenly. (Don’t worry if the glaze doesn’t level out. The oven’s heat will move the glaze everywhere.) Place the pecan halves or pieces on the glaze.

With a sharp knife, slice off roughly half-inch rounds. Pull out and lengthen the remaining cylinder between every few cuts. Place each slice in the pans. Each pan will hold nine to 12 slices; as they rise they will fill the pan. The slices probably will not be the same size; your guests will appreciate having a choice.

Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap. Set them in warm, draft-free spot. After 30-45 minutes, turn on the oven to 350 degrees to preheat 30 minutes. (A baking stone on the lowest rack is recommended.) Total rising time is 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove plastic wrap and place tins on two racks in oven. Bake a total of 30 minutes, rotating the position of the pans twice, every 10 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Have ready a dinner plate and three squares of wax paper about the size of the plate. Place a square of wax paper over one pan, then the plate. Invert, and the rolls will drop onto the wax paper-covered plate. Slide the rolls with wax paper onto a wire rack or another plate. Repeat for the other pans. Using a soft spatula, scoop out any glaze that remains in the pans and smooth onto the rolls. Center the pecans on the rolls with the soft spatula. Continue to cool.

Schnecken can be served immediately. The larger rolls can be halved with a knife before presenting, because they’re rich. To store, wrap the rolls loosely in wax paper or plastic wrap, placing several in a zip plastic bag. They keep at room temperature for up to two days. Schnecken freeze well. They can be warmed gently in the oven, first removing the wax paper or plastic and wrapping in foil. Do not microwave; that toughens them.

Credits

My first source is Sunset Breads by Sunset Publishing. The dough I’ve used in recent years is a half recipe of “Braided Challah with Whole Wheat and Wheat Germ” from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., and Zoe Francois. To vegan-ize this dough, replace the eggs with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Ener-G Egg Replacer and add 3/4 cups water to the liquid ingredients — or create three “flax eggs.” The glaze and filling, and general instructions, are adapted from the “Sticky Buns with Pecans” recipe in the September 2004 issue of Cooks Illustrated.