Made from a sultana studded soft yeast dough swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with coffee icing, these Australian coffee scrolls are a delicious tea time treat, and tasty for brunch too!
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What are coffee scrolls?
Similar to a cinnamon roll or Chelsea bun, coffee scrolls are a traditional Australian bakery treat. They can be both savoury, like these pizza scrolls or sweet like this sweet scrolls recipe, with it’s fluffy sultana dough, syrup glaze and coffee icing topping.
Why we love this recipe
- They scrolls make the house smell amazing!
- A delicious afternoon treat, or special breakfast or brunch dish.
- Can easily be altered to suit younger tastes (see tip at end of post for making the coffee icing, without coffee ;)).
Ingredients Notes
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, they are simple to make!
- Flour – the higher gluten content of bread flour makes these homemade scrolls light, fluffy and slightly chewy. If you don’t have bread flour then use plain or AP flour.
- Yeast – quick rise yeast/instant yeast. This yeast don’t require any ‘proofing’ (mixing with liquid and watching for the bubbles to form)
- Sugar – there are 3 types of sugar in this recipe: granulated sugar for the scroll dough and glaze, soft brown sugar for the cinnamon filling, and icing sugar/confectioners sugar for the icing.
- Egg – makes the dough soft and rich. Use a room temperature egg for best results.
- Butter – unsalted butter is best for this recipe. For the dough, it doesn’t matter if the butter is chilled, but for the filling and icing it needs to be at room temperature (the easiest way to do this is to leave it out from when you start making the scroll dough – by the time you need to fill and then ice the dough the butter will be softened.)
- Sultanas – feel free to swap for raisins
- Cream cheese – full fat cream cheese is best for this icing.
- Coffee granules/instant coffee
How to make scrolls from scratch
(For full, detailed recipe, please see recipe card below. These images are to help you.)
- Melt butter with the milk.
- Mix flour with yeast, cinnamon and sugar.
- Add egg.
- Add milk and stir.
- After kneading, leave the dough to rise.
- Add sultanas to the dough.
- Roll out on floured board.
- Spread over softened butter.
- Mix cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Sprinkle over the butter.
- Starting from one long side, roll tightly.
- Roll into a sausage.
- Cut into 9 pieces.
- Line the bottom of a square tin.
- Place the scrolls, cut side up, in the tin and leave.
- Once risen and touching, bake.
- Make the glaze.
- Brush over warm scrolls.
- Make the icing: Beat the butter with cream cheese and vanilla.
- Add sifted icing sugar.
- Add coffee.
- Stir well to combine. Ready to spread over your scrolls!
Can I make scrolls in a breadmaker?
Yes you can. Place all the dough ingredients in the breadmaker and select the program to knead and rise. Once risen, add the sultanas and mix in by hand, then shape by hand and bake in the oven.
Can you freeze cooked scrolls?
Yes you can. Make the scrolls and bake, then leave to cool without adding the glaze. Once cooled completely, freeze (un-iced!) for up to 2 months. Defrost, then heat in for 10 – 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 180˚C/350˚F.
Can I use freshly brewed coffee in the icing?
No. Instant coffee powder/granules provide a good coffee flavour without the need for much water. If you were to use fresh coffee, it would make the icing too liquid.
My Recipe Tips
- You want the milk and butter mixture to be just warm, otherwise it will kill the yeast, and your coffee cinnamon scrolls won’t rise as well. It should feel like warm bath water.
- If the milk and butter mixture gets too hot, or begins to boil, let it cool for 3-4 minutes until cool enough to touch before adding to the flour and yeast.
- To tell when the scrolls are cooked, tap them – they should sound hollow.
- Brush with the glaze when the scrolls are still warm…
- ….however wait until they are completely cold before icing.
- Wait a couple of minutes before adding the boiling water-coffee to the icing, if the coffee is too hot it can melt the cream cheese and butter.
- One less step – leave out the glaze from the recipe. It adds an extra layer of sticky deliciousness, but if you prefer to leave it out these scrolls will still taste amazing!
Serving Ideas
Nothing beats these freshly made, on their own! But they also make a delicious brunch dish with some fresh berries on the side.
Storage
These homemade scrolls are best eaten on the day they are made. They can however be kept in the fridge up to 24 hours. A delicious way of reheating htem (un-iced) is to place them under the grill for a couple of minutes. They make a very tasty breakfast treat!
Coffee Icing Alternative/Making these scrolls for kids
The coffee icing is what makes these scrolls, well, coffee scrolls. However, it is not always popular with younger family members and those who don’t like coffee. Make a batch of the cream cheese icing, and place half in another bowl. Measure out half the amount of coffee and boiling water. Add this coffee mixture to one bowl and leave the other as is. Ice half the cinnamon fruit scrolls with the vanilla icing and half with the coffee – or 4 scrolls with one icing and 5 scrolls with the other icing.
Other easy baking recipes for you
Coffee Scrolls
Author: Robyn
Made from a sultana studded soft yeast dough swirled with cinnamon sugar and topped with coffee icing, these Australian coffee scrolls are a delicious teat time treat, and tasty for brunch too!
Ingredients
- 200 ml milk
- 50 g butter
- 450 g plain flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 7 g dried yeast
- 35 g sugar granulated
- 1 egg beaten
- 100g (⅔c) sultanas
Filling
- 25 g butter softened
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 30 g soft brown sugar
Glaze – optional
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 25 ml water
Coffee Icing
- 50 g cream cheese room temperature
- 15 g butter softened
- 60g (½c) icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- ¼-⅓ tsp coffee granules
- ¼ tsp boiling water
Instructions
- Place the milk and butter in a small saucepan and place over a low heat until the butter has just melted. (You don't want the milk to be too hot.) Place to one side.
- Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the yeast, granulated sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir in the just warm milk and add the beaten egg.
- Bring together to make a soft dough and then knead for 7 minutes by hand, until the dough is elastic and smooth. You can also knead in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 7 minutes on medium speed. (For bread maker instructions see below).
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 – 1½ hours, until doubled in size.
- Sprinkled the sultanas on top of the dough and mix to combine, then turn the dough out on to a lightly floured board or surface and roll into a rectangle 20cm x 30cm (7.8" x 11.8").
- Spread the softened butter over the dough in an even layer.
- Mix the cinnamon with brown sugar, then sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Gently press the longest edge closest to you down slightly onto the surface, then take the opposite long edge and roll tightly towards you.
- Cut into 9 even sized pieces around 4-5cm (1.5"-1.9") thick.
- Line the bottom of a 20cm x 20 cm (8" x 8") square tin with baking paper (no need to line the sides).
- Place the scrolls cut side up into the tin in 3 rows of 3, leaving a slight gap between them all.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 30-40 minutes, until the scrolls have grown and are now touching.
- Preheat the oven to 180˚C fan/ 200˚C / 360˚F
- Bake the scrolls for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and whilst they are cooling, make the glaze.
To make the glaze – optional step
- Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Brush the glaze over the warm scrolls.
- Leave for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- When the scrolls are completely cold, make the icing.
To make the coffee icing
- In a medium mixing bowl beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
- Add the vanilla essence and stir before sifting in the icing sugar.
- In a small bowl or mug, mix the coffee granules with the boiling water, leave to cool slightly for a couple of minutes, then pour this into the icing and stir to combine.
- Spread the icing over the scrolls, and then enjoy!
Making scrolls in a bread maker:
- Melt the butter with milk until just melted and place to one side.
- Weigh out the flour, yeast, cinnamon and salt in the bread maker pan, then add the egg and mix slightly before adding the warm milk.
- Place into the bread maker and use the setting for kneading and rising.
- Once ready, mix in the sultanas, then roll out into a rectangle and continue as above from step 5.
Notes
Cream cheese – make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you make the icing. This will make it easier to mix. Full fat cream cheese is best for this icing.
Butter – For the dough, it doesn’t matter if the butter is chilled, but for the filling and icing it needs to be at room temperature (the easiest way to do this is to leave it out from when you start making the scroll dough – by the time you need to fill and then ice the dough the butter will be softened.)
Coffee granules – Instant coffee granules, the amount varies by how strong you want the coffee taste to be. A little goes a long way!
If the milk and butter mixture begins to boil, let it cool for 3-4 minutes before adding to the flour and yeast.
To tell when the scrolls are cooked, tap them – they should sound hollow.
Brush with the glaze when the scrolls are still warm…
Ice the scrolls when completely cold.
Vanilla cream cheese icing: The coffee icing is not always popular with younger family members, but they needn’t miss out! Make a batch of the cream cheese icing, and place half in another bowl. Measure out half the amount of coffee and boiling water. Add this coffee mixture to one bowl and leave the other as is. Ice half the cinnamon fruit scrolls with the vanilla icing and half with the coffee – or 4 scrolls with one icing and 5 scrolls with the other icing.
Sift the icing sugar into the icing, to prevent the icing from becoming lumpy.
Wait a couple of minutes before adding the boiling water-coffee to the icing, if the coffee is too hot it can melt the cream cheese and butter.
The glaze is purely optional. The scrolls are still sweet, sticky and delicious without it!
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 109mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 389IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 1mg
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Lily B says
hey! I think it’s missing the amount of flour. How much do I use? thanks
Robyn says
Hi Lily, oh goodness, thanks for pointing that out! Ive corrected the recipe – you use 450g plain flour. Thanks for letting me know! Robyn