It’s been decades since I’ve enjoyed these Apricot Pinwheels (baked by Mom). Recently, I unearthed the recipe from a box that was buried deep in a cupboard at my Dad’s house. They’re pretty simple to make, and the flavor brought back childhood memories. Needless to say, they were a hit with my family!
Gossipy Sweet Bun Dough
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 butter
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 4-1/2 to 5 cups all purpose flour
Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm. Measure warm water into large warm bowl. Sprinkle with yeast, stir until dissolved.
Stir in lukewarm milk mixture, beaten eggs and 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Place in greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
To Make Pinwheels
- 1/2 Gossipy Sweet Bun Dough (from above)
- 1/3 cup apricot preserves
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 15 maraschino cherries, halved
- melted butter
Roll the dough into 18X15″ rectangle. Cut into thirty, 3″ squares. Cut each square diagonally from each corner to about 1/2″ from center. (see diagram above)
Blend apricots and pecans. Place about 1 tsp. mixture in each center.
There are 2 points to each corner of the square. In rotation, bring the same point of each corner to the center, overlap, and seal points at the center. Top each pinwheel with a cherry half.
Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F, or until done. Brush with melted butter.
Makes 30 pinwheels
