Pecan roll redemption

After my orange bread debacle I wasn't sure what to make of my new Tassajara Bread Book, but yesterday I made some delicious pecan rolls from the book that assured me this one is a gem, indeed.  These rolls are loaded with butter, brown sugar and pecans, but they have whole wheat, so that must counterbalance all of the fat and make them good for you!  Hope you enjoy these as much as we did.  They're very best right out of the oven.

This recipe is easily adapted to making cinnamon rolls, if you're not partial to nuts.  Just stop before the pecans in the filling ingredient list.

Pecan Nut Rolls
From: The Tassajara Bread Book
Grade: A!  These are as good or better than any from a bakery in my opinion, and they don't even take as long to make as most yeast breads.

The recipe listed below makes enough rolls to fill 2 round cake pans - I cut it in half for just the two of us.

Dough:
1 cup lukewarm water
3 1/2 tsp dry yeast
3 tbsp honey or sugar
1/3 cup dry milk (regular milk works just fine, but you may need less water or more flour - or you can omit this all together for a grainier bread texture)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups white or whole wheat flour

3 tbs melted butter or oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sifted white or whole wheat flour
1/2 - 3/4 cup additional flour for kneading

Filling:                                                                     
1/4 cup melted butter                                              
3/4 cup brown sugar                                              
1 tbsp cinnamon                                                    
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
Stop here for just cinnamon rolls
1 cup chopped pecans
6 tbsp butter (for lining the pan)
1/2 cup brown sugar (also for the pan)

To prepare the dough, dissolve the yeast in water and stir in the honey, milk, and egg.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat) and beat well (100 strokes if you're going with the Zen method).  Let the dough rise for 30 minutes, covered with a damp cloth (mine did not rise a very noticeable amount).

Fold in the butter, salt, and 1 cup of flour (I used 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat).  Try to fold in and not cut through the dough.  Turn the dough out and knead on a floured board using extra flour as needed until the dough is smooth (5-10 minutes).  Let rise another 40 minutes (again, I didn't see much action in this time frame).

Roll the dough out into a square about 1/4 inch thick.  Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins (if using), and pecans.  Begin at one edge and tightly roll up the dough like a jelly roll.  Have your cake pan(s) ready, each dotted with 3 tbs butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Cut the log into 1/2-3/4" pieces and place in the cake pan(s).  Let the rolls rise an additional 20-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F (375 for cinnamon rolls).  Brush the rolls with an egg wash if desired (for cinnamon rolls only).  Bake the rolls for 30 minutes (20-25 for cinnamon rolls).  Cinnamon rolls are done after baking and can be topped with frosting or glaze if desired.  For the pecan rolls, turn them out of the pan to reveal the tops already coated with a nice glaze.  Serve immediately!