Australian Coffee Scrolls Just Like Mum Made
Coffee scrolls were a favourite in our house when I was growing up in the seventies. This simple recipe makes the lovely old fashioned scrolls I remember, filled with sultanas, coffee and cinnamon and finished with coffee icing. If you’ve never tried one before, there’s a delightful treat in store.
If you enjoy old fashioned Australian bakery favourites, you may also like my classic Australian vanilla slice, made with crisp puff pastry, creamy custard and passionfruit icing.
Australian Coffee Scrolls
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Proofing Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 16 scrolls
Soft, light Australian coffee scrolls filled with sultanas and a coffee cinnamon mixture, then finished with a simple coffee icing. This delightful old-fashioned recipe was published as an Australian Women’s Weekly favourite in 1981.Australian measurements are used throughout. One Australian cup holds 250 ml, and one Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml.
Ingredients
Dough
- 10 g instant yeast, or 30g compressed fresh yeast
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon plain flour
- 1½ cups full cream milk, lukewarm, 375ml
- 1 egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 4 cups plain flour, plus extra for kneading, 600g
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar, 20g
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sultanas, 150g
Coffee and Cinnamon Filling
- 30 g butter, melted,
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Coffee Icing
- 1 cup icing sugar, sifted, 160g
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 2 tablespoon boiling water, 40ml
For Greasing Tins
- Softened butter as needed
Instructions
Activate the Yeast
- Place the yeast, caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of plain flour in a jug or bowl, whisk together then gradually whisk in the lukewarm milk. Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbly and frothy.
- Stir the lightly beaten egg into the activated yeast mixture and set aside.
Make the Dough
- Sift the plain flour, 1 tablespoon caster sugar and salt into a large bowl. Add the sultanas and mix to combine.
- Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or your hands until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until noticeably puffed and almost doubled in volume. If it has not risen much after an hour, leave it longer and check that the place is comfortably warm. Depending on the room temperature, it may take up to 1½ hours. If your house is cold, place a large bowl half to two thirds full of boiling water in the switched-off oven and place the covered dough either on the rack above the water or beside it. Keep the oven off. The warmth and steam will create a good environment for the dough to rise.
Knead and Fill
- Lightly flour the work surface and your hands. Turn out the dough and knead for about 5 minutes, using only a little extra flour as needed, until it feels soft and smooth. When gently pressed with a finger, the indentation may slowly begin to spring back, although it may not spring back completely. Alternatively, knead the dough in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook on low speed until soft and smooth.
- Combine the cinnamon, brown sugar and instant coffee in a small bowl.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 30 cm long and 38 cm wide. Brush the melted butter evenly over the dough, then sift or sprinkle the coffee and cinnamon mixture evenly over the top.
Shape the Scrolls
- Starting from the long side, roll the dough up as tight as you can into a log. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 16 even slices.
- Grease two 20 cm round cake tins with softened butter. Arrange 8 scrolls, cut side up, in each tin.
- Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly puffed and spreading to fill the tins. If your house is cold, you can use the switched-off oven and bowl of freshly boiled water again.
Bake
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C conventional (375°F) or 170°C fan forced.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180°C conventional (350°F) or 160°C fan forced and bake for a further 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
Make the Coffee Icing
- While the scrolls are baking, dissolve the instant coffee in the hot water.
- Place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and gradually stir in the coffee mixture.
Ice the Scrolls
- Run a knife around the edges of the tins, then carefully turn the hot scrolls out onto a rack and return them to the right side up.
- While still hot, generously drizzle the coffee icing over the scrolls. Place a board or tray underneath to catch any icing that runs over the sides.
- Allow them to cool slightly, then pull the scrolls apart along their natural seams. Use a knife to separate them if necessary.
Video
Notes
- The dough may not quite double during the first rise. It should look noticeably puffed and increased in volume. Depending on the warmth of your room, this may take up to 1½ hours.
- After kneading, the dough should feel soft and smooth. When gently pressed, the indentation may slowly begin to spring back but may not disappear completely. If it does not spring back but the dough feels soft and smooth, continue with the recipe.
- If you do not like coffee, omit the instant coffee from the filling and use 3 teaspoons of cinnamon in total. The coffee icing can also be replaced with pink icing.
- These coffee scrolls are best eaten fresh. Once cooled, they can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag. I like to freeze them in lots of two.
- To reheat, slice a scroll horizontally, spread it with butter and microwave for approximately 20 seconds, or until soft and warmed through.
Thank you for this recipe and video. I came across your YouTube channel recently and I’ve now watched heaps of your videos. I made these scrolls today and I put them all on a lined round pizza tray and they fit very nicely on it, they were snug on the tray. I baked them for 10 minutes at the higher temp and 20 minutes at the lower temp, fan forced, they felt cooked (hard on top) but they weren’t browned at all, they were very pale. Maybe because I baked all 16 of them at once? I baked them for another 10 minutes at the lower temp and they still weren’t browned so I decided to turn the grill on for like 5 minutes and they browned very quickly. I actually almost burned them. I would’ve kept baking them but I was worried they’d dry out if they were in there for too long so I used the grill. I just inhaled a few scrolls. Next time I make these I might bake them at a higher temp to see if they brown faster. The icing definitely takes them to the next level, it adds the perfect amount of sweetness. I actually feel like the dough could do with a bit more sugar as it only has a hint of sweetness, but I guess it depends how sweet you want them. I just had a third scroll and I need someone to take the tray away from me before I eat the rest of them before my partner gets home. Maybe these can be my batch and I’ll make them again for him. Lol. I think they’re delicious though especially with the sultanas in them. I have a coffee machine and next time I’m going to try and use fresh coffee for the icing. I’m not sure if it’ll work for the filling but I want to see if it takes the coffee flavour to the next level. Anyway I’m going to make these again next week for my family. They’ll love them.
Hi Jade,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely message. I had a little laugh about you needing someone to take the tray away. I know that feeling. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the scrolls and that you’ve been enjoying my videos too.
Did you make the regular recipe or the gluten free variation? My gluten free scrolls stay much paler, but the regular ones usually brown nicely. Having all 16 snugly together may have created a little more steam, although I wouldn’t expect that to stop the tops browning. Your oven may run a little cooler than mine, so I think trying them 10 to 20°C hotter next time is a good idea.
The dough is only lightly sweet because the filling and icing add the sweetness, but you could certainly add a little more sugar if you prefer. Freshly brewed espresso would be lovely in the icing. I’d be interested to hear how it goes in the filling too.
Thank you again, Jade. I hope your family loves them next week, and that your partner managed to get at least one from this batch. ☺