Red Bean Sweet Rolls

Soak the Red Beans in Water overnight – or for at least 8 hours.

Drain and rinse them well, then place them in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and leave to cook for 30 to 45 minutes, or until very soft. You know they are ready when you can mash them between your fingers.

Drain the cooked red beans and stir in the caster sugar. To create the paste, you can either use a masher (which will create a chunkier version of the paste) or a food processor. You want a relatively smooth texture, but still have small chunks of beans to add texture to your paste.

Mix the lukewarm Milk with the Yeast and a little bit of the sugar. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes or until you see foam / bubbles at the surface.

In the bowl of your Mixer, mix the Flour with the rest of the Sugar. Add the whisked Egg and the Milk/Yeast. Knead until it comes together then add the Salt.

Knead for another 3 minutes, then start slowly adding the Soft Butter until fully incorporated. Increase the speed of your mixer and knead for another 5 minutes or until very soft and stretchy. You should be able to pull parts of the dough without breaking it.

The next step is to leave the dough to prove for about 1 hour to 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Punch the dough to deflate it and transfer it on a floured surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a large, thin rectangle.

Spread the Red Bean paste over the rolled dough, leaving one of the longer sides plain.

Starting from the opposite larger side, roll the dough tightly until you have rolled the whole dough.

Optional: I like to put the rolled dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes as it will firm it up and make it much easier to slice.

With a serrated knife, slice the dough into 9 to 12 equal portions and place them on a lined baking tray or baking pan.

Brush with an Egg Yolk, then cover with a tea towel and leave to prove a second time for about 30 minutes.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.