Almond Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 cup cool water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick cold butter
• 1 can almond filling
• 1 egg, beaten with a little water for an eggwash

Directions

1. Stir the water, yeast, sugar, and sour cream together in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar dissolves, then set the bowl aside.
2. Add the flour and salt to your food processor. Cut the butter into about 12 chunky pieces and add them to the processor bowl. Pulse a few times, as if you were starting pie dough, until the butter bits are roughly chickpea-sized. A few larger pieces and a few smaller ones are exactly fine.
3. Scrape the flour mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently until the flour is moistened, without smashing the butter pieces any more than you need to.
4. Press plastic wrap over the bowl and slide it into the refrigerator overnight.
5. The next day, flour your work surface very generously and turn out the dough. Keep extra flour nearby, because you will probably want it while rolling.
6. Pat the dough into a loose rectangle, then roll it to about 12 x 16 inches. Precision is not the point here. The butter will look lumpy throughout the dough, and that is just what you want.
7. Bring the dough into 3 layers, the way a letter gets folded.
8. Roll the dough back out to roughly the same size, then fold it into 3 layers again. No ruler needed; just aim for about the same dimensions.
9. Move briskly so the butter stays firm, and repeat that rolling and 3-layer folding 2 more times. Fold the dough in half, wrap it in plastic wrap, and return it to the refrigerator. Let it rest there for at least an hour, or leave it until the next day.
10. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into 2 pieces, and put half back in the refrigerator while you work with the other half.
11. Press the piece of dough down slightly, then cut it into 8 roughly even pieces. Roll the first piece to about 3 x 6 inches. Spread about a tablespoon of the almond filling over the lower part of the dough, bringing it about halfway up and leaving most of it near the end. Roll it up and set it on the prepared baking sheet with the seam underneath. Leave plenty of space between the rolls.
12. Once the 8 rolls are shaped, cover the pan with plastic wrap and let them sit for 30 minutes. You can shape the next 8 rolls now, or save that dough for the next day.
13. After 30 minutes, the rolls will not look dramatically risen, but they should feel puffy. Brush them with the eggwash and bake at 400 degrees until they are nicely browned.
14. Let the rolls cool, at least a little, before eating so the hot filling does not get you first.