Prepare ahead

12-inch Cast iron dutch oven (or prepare ahead and reheat in butter in cast iron frypan)

Ingredients (for 12 persons):

Quantity		Description
Dough:
2 packages		Dry Yeast or yeast cakes (1 cake = 0.6 oz. yeast)
3-5 cups		White Flour (5 cups if no whole wheat flour - see below)
2 cups		Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup		white Sugar
1 tsp		Salt
1 cup		Milk
1 cup		Butter
Filling:
1 cup		Butter
1 cup		Dark Brown Sugar
2 cups		Walnuts
1/4 lb.		chopped Dates (plus optional a few dried apricots, cranberries
2-3 tsp		Cinnamon (fresher it is, less you'll need) (plus optional cloves, ginger to taste)

Equipment:

Small bowl, in which to wake the yeast
BIG bowl, for mixing and rasing the dough (must have room for dough to double in size)
Cookie Sheets (for the scond rising (we LOVE those second risings!) and baking
Rolling pin (floured, of course)
Pastry cutter
Warm place, like under the wood stove, to raise the dough

Wake the Yeast

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of quite warm water.
Add about a teaspoon of sugar. Set this aside.

Start the Dough

Warm the butter and milk in the microwave unti the butter is soft and begins to melt.
Mix the wheat flour and 3 cups white flour, salt, and white sugar in a BIG mixing bowl.
Add the milk, butter, and yeast mixtrue and stir with a big wooden spoon.
If the dough is still very moist, add more flour at this point.

Knead the Dough

GENEROUSLY flour your working surface. Knead the dough for 10-15 minutes.

The first rising

Put the kneaded dough into a bowl large enough to allow it to double in size and cover with a clean dish cloth.
Set it in a warm place to rise.
Depending on the temperature of the dough, and your chosen warm place, this will take anywhere from one to three hours (or even overnight).
The dough is ready when the dough has doubled in size.

The filling

Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the brown sugar and spices.
A tablespoon or two of flour will give it a little more substance.
Add the nuts and dates and mix well.
The filling should be crumbly, but sticks together if you press it in your hand.

Assemble the rolls

When the dough has doubled, punch down, then turn it onto a floured surface.
Cut the dough in half (for the two loaves) and roll each half out flat with the rolling pin to remove all air bubbles.
Roll the dough into oblong shapes about 12x18 inches in size.
Sprinkle the filling on the dough and roll it up.
Set your rolls on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

The second rising

Your rolls have risen sufficiently when they have once again nearly doubled in size.
Depending once again on the ambient termperature, this may take from 1-3 hours.

Bake

When the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the over to about 325.
They will take 45-60 minutes to bake, depending on how chubby their size and thickness.
They are done when they have browned and sound hollow when tapped.
Allow them to cool on a rack for at least a few minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!