INGREDIENTS

• Dough
• • 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• • ½ cup sugar, plus 1 tsp sugar
• • ½ cup whole milk
• • ½ stick melted butter
• • ¼ oz package active dry yeast
• • ½ cup lukewarm water
• • 1 egg, beaten
• • 1 tsp salt
• • 1 tsp cinnamon
• • 1 tsp vanilla extract
• • 1 tsp almond extract
• Apricot Filling
• • 10 oz apricot preserves
• • 1 cup light brown sugar
• • 1 tsp cinnamon
• Matcha Glaze
• • 2 cups powdered sugar
• • 3 tsp Aiya Culinary Grade Matcha
• • 1 tsp almond extract
• • 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• • 2 Tbsp whole milk

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Start by preparing the dough. Whisk the 1 tsp sugar with the lukewarm water and yeast, and let sit for about 10 minutes, until the yeast has activated and begins to bubble. If it does not begin to bubble, try a different packet of yeast, or make sure your water is only slightly warm, as hot water can kill the yeast.
• 2. While the yeast is activating, whisk together the whole milk, melted butter, egg, and both extracts in a medium bowl. Whisk in the activated yeast mixture. Set aside.
• 3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Form a small well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the milk mixture into the center. Using the dough hook, begin mixing everything together on low, scraping down the bowl as necessary to fully incorporate all ingredients.
• 4. Turn the speed to high and kneed for 6-8 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, forming a ball around the dough hook.
• 5. Grease your hands and transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for an hour and a half in a room-temperature or warm place, until doubled in size.
• 6. Transfer dough to a heavily floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 18″x12″, and about ¼” thick. Use a spatula or knife to evenly spread the apricot preserves across the dough, leaving about 1” around the edges to avoid the filling spilling out when you roll the dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the preserves.
• 7. Use your hands to roll the dough, along the longer side, into a cylinder. Once the log shape has been created, press gently to give it more structure.
• 8. Use an extremely sharp serrated knife to gently saw the log in half. Cut each half in half, and so on, until you have 8, or 12 rounds, depending on how large you want the rolls to be.
• 9. Carefully transfer the rolls into a buttered pan and cover again with plastic wrap, let proof for an additional half an hour. While the rolls are proofing, place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350°F. Once the rolls have proofed for half an hour, bake them for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.
• 10. Remove from the oven and let cool until still warm, but not like burn your face off hot.
• 11. While the rolls are cooling, make the glaze by whisking together all of the ingredients until there are no lumps left over, and pour it over the rolls while they are still in the pan. Alternatively, for a prettier glaze and presentation, remove the rolls from the pan and gently spread the glaze on top of each individual roll.
• 12. Serve warm or room temperature.