Mysore Pak Cinnamon Scrolls

This is a take on cinnamon scrolls with a sticky, tasty twist.

Mysore Pak is a dessert that originated in the kitchens of Mysore Palace. It’s a mixture of chickpea flour, sugar syrup and ghee. The end result is little pieces resembling a dense cookie that crumbles and melts in your mouth.

My first memory of Mysore Pak is sitting in my grandma’s kitchen as a kid and stealing as many pieces as I could when she wasn’t looking. To this day whenever I savour a piece of Mysore Pak, I think of my grandma and the love she used to pour into this.

The only thing I don’t like about Mysore Pak, is that after a few pieces I start to feel a sugar high coming and need to stop.

Cinnamon scrolls on the other hand, are something I started to bake because of my sister-in-law’s love for them. These are her favourite pastry (just by a slim margin to chocolate croissants) and she would be on the hunt for the best scrolls in Sydney. We’ve tried them with many different variations including no frosting, a glazed topping, a cream cheese frosting and a dusting of icing sugar.

One afternoon in the kitchen I had started to make some scrolls and had left over Mysore Pak. So, this dish was born!

When we add the Mysore Pak into the scrolls as a filling, it’s crumbly and like tiny little rocks. But once put in the oven, the Mysore Pak filling melts and turns into a sticky sauce, kind of like a caramel.

In terms of placing the scrolls in the baking tray before they go in the oven, there are two options.

1. Use 2 baking trays (30cm x 25cm) and have the scrolls well-distanced from one another before the 2^nd proof (where you cover the scrolls and let them rest for 30 minutes – 1 hour where the dough expands).
2. Place all of the scrolls in one well-greased baking tray (30cm x 25cm) about 2cm apart from each other before proofing. They will expand during the proof and then whilst baking, the edges will touch one another so the scrolls look like a pull apart.

You can top the scrolls with lots of different options, however I feel a glaze or icing sugar makes it a bit too sweet. Recently, I’ve been liking crushed pistachios and my stick chai syrup (recipe to come!).

Ingredients

Mysore Pak

1 Cup Ghee melted

½ Cup Olive oil

1 ½ Cups White Sugar

½ Cup Water

1 Cup Besan Flour / Chickpea Flour (fine)

2tsp Ground Cinnamon Powder

Cinnamon Scroll

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

½ Cup White Sugar

2ts Yeast

¾ Cup Milk

50g Unsalted Butter, melted

1tsp Salt

1 egg

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon Powder

15g Unsalted butter, melted (extra)

Method

Mysore Pak

1. In a deep-sided flat bottom pan (i.e. a kadai) add the oil and ghee.
2. Bring this to a boil and then turn the heat to low-medium so that this mixture continues to simmer.
3. In a non-stick heavy bottom pan add the water and sugar. Bring this a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.
4. Continue to stir until the mixture forms into a string like consistency. That is, cool ¼ teaspoon of this mixture and pinch it between your thumb and index finger. When you pull your fingers apart there should be strings connecting them. This is the consistency you want.
5. Turn this mixture to low – medium heat and continue to stir.
6. Add 1/3 of the chickpea (besan) flour and cinnamon. Stir this until the mixture combines and there are no lumps.
7. Repeat the previous step until all the flour and cinnamon are mixed.
8. Fill a ladle with the ghee and oil mixture. Pour this over the flour mixture while continuously stirring.
9. Continue adding a ladle of the ghee/oil mixture to the flour mixture whilst stirring rapidly until the flour mixture resembles honeycomb. At this point you will see some oil coming out at the sides and the mixture separating from the pan.
10. Transfer this mix to a greased loaf tray.
11. After about 5 minutes, cut the Mysore Pak into pieces of your preferred size.
12. Allow this mix to cool for another 30 – 40 minutes.
13. Remove the Mysore Pak from the tray and separate the pieces. It is now ready!

Cinnamon Scroll

1. Heat the milk to about 45 degrees Celsius (this is about 30 seconds in the microwave at medium power).
2. Add the warmed milk, yeast and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Stir this together and set aside for 10 – 15 minutes until the yeast has bloomed.
3. Add the salt, melted butter and beaten egg. Stir to combine.
4. Sift in the flour and baking powder into the milk mixture. Stir until just combined.
5. Turn out onto a clean, floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 – 10 minutes until smooth. You will know it’s ready if the surface of the dough is smooth and when you gently press a finger to it, the dough gently springs back up.
6. In another large bowl, grease the inside to ensure the dough won’t stick. Add the dough to the bowl and cover it with either plastic wrap or a towel. Place the bowl in a warm place to rise for at least an hour. You want the dough to double in size.
7. In the meantime take about half of the Mysore Pak. Using a mortar and pestle to grind the Mysore Pak to crumbs. Add the extra tsp of cinnamon and mix well.
8. After the dough has risen, flour a clean surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle that has a thickness of about 1 cm.
9. Brush the extra melted butter over the dough and spread the Mysore Pak filling evenly over it.
10. Start from one of the short ends and roll the dough into a log. Take your time with this to ensure the filling is nicely tucked in.
11. When you are at the end of the log, push and pinch the seam closed to ensure the filling does not come out.
12. Line 2 baking trays (30cm x 25cm) with baking paper or if you would like the scrolls to be connected like the pictures, grease one baking tray (30cm x 25cm).
13. Cut the log into even pieces width wise, about 2 – 3cm in thickness.
14. Place the scrolls onto the baking trays. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 30 minutes to an hour.
15. Preheat your oven to 175⁰C.
16. Place the trays into the oven and bake for about 25 – 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the dough is cooked.
17. Allow the scrolls to cool for at least 5 minutes. Top with crushed pistachios, icing sugar and/or a stick chai glaze and enjoy!