Basic Sweet Dough Recipe

This basic sweet dough recipe gives you a tender, soft crumb, and can be made into any sweet bread or roll you’d like.

This basic sweet dough is one of those useful recipes that offers so many incredible options. Want to make cinnamon rolls? You can do that. Have a sweet loaf in mind, stuffed with delicious things? You can make it all happen with this dough.

This is one that I’ve made and tweaked and made again and played with multiple times in the past few months. To be honest, the first batch went in the garbage can because it wasn’t edible. I’ve made a strawberry heart bread for Valentines, rolls that never saw the light of Instagram, and most recently these Nutella rolls, which were inspired by Thida Bevington and her amazing creations.

How to Make Basic Sweet Dough

• Begin by setting out your eggs to come to room temperature.
• Next, place the butter in a sauce pan and melt it down completely. Add the milk and continue to heat until it reaches between 100-110° F, then pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Sprinkle the yeast into the milk and butter, followed by the sugar. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, allowing the yeast to dissolve and become foamy.
• Lightly beat the egg in a separate bowl, then stir into the rest of the wet ingredients.
• Add the flour and salt to the bowl and turn the mixer on low , stirring with the dough hook until the flour has all been absorbed and the dough has come together. Then turn up the mixer to medium and knead for 4-6 minutes, or until the dough has come together on the hook in a ball.
• Remove the dough from the mixing bowl into an oiled bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, and set it in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled in size. This will take about 1-2 hours, but the time will vary depending on the warmth of your room.
• When the dough has doubled, use it to make rolls, twists, loaves, or whatever you’d like!

To make the Nutella rolls, I followed these directions from Thida Bevington. {She has lots of variations on these swirls, and I highly recommend following her for pastry inspiration, ideas, and just generally luscious, drool worthy food.}:

How To Make Nutella Swirls

Bake them at 350F for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden brown, then remove them from the oven and allow to cool before glazing.

Recipe Notes and Tips:

• If your yeast is a bit on the old side and you’re not sure it’s active, try testing some before using it in the dough. Simply sprinkle a pinch or two over a cup of warm water. If it dissolves and becomes foamy in 5-10 minutes, it’s active and safe to use. If it simply sinks and doesn’t do anything, you’ll need to get new yeast.
• After adding the flour, your dough may look wet, soft, and unworkable. But don’t be tempted to add extra flour! As it rises, the gluten will build structure in the dough. It will still be soft, but workable, and will give you a tender, delicious dough. Adding extra flour will make it dry out more quickly.
• After shaping your loaves or rolls, you can pop them in the refrigerator overnight and bake in the morning. So easy!

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