Resolution Revelation Apple-Raisin Roll

I love starting the new year with resolutions. This recipe shares the revelation that repeatedly unveiled itself to me last year: even the healthiest of food can be utterly delectable. Try it yourself by focusing on what is in this just-sweet-enough spiral of fruity baked goodness: apples, cinnamon, hot baked bread. Get your own revelation as you think about what is not in it. This breakfast bread or dessert has:

• No added fat
• No added sugar
• No refined flour
• No diary

You can probably eat as much as you want and still keep your New Year's Resolutions. Not only is it super-healthy, but:

• It's easier to make than pie
• It will make your kitchen smell fabulous
• It costs just 35 cents a serving

Here are just a few of the resolutions this recipe can help you keep: lose weight, get healthy, save money, eat with the seasons, and make the world a more delicious and happier place. Join me in saving the apple cores to make apple-cider vinegar if you've also resolved to make good use of what you have.

Resolution Revelation Apple-Raisin Roll

Active time: 15 minutes. Total time: 50 minutes. Yield: 8 servings or about 14 slices as shown.

Ingredients

• half recipe WWWonderful Pizza Dough
• 1 pound sweet apples, such as Fuji or Gala (2 large apples or 454 grams)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins (80 grams)

Method

1. Make WWWonderful Pizza Dough and let rise while you prepare the filling. You'll only need half the dough to make one apple-raisin roll. If you are taking dough made in advance from the refrigerator, let it come to room temperature before proceeding. Put a bread stone or heavy cookie sheet, flat side up, on the bottom oven rack. Heat oven to 350°F for at least 30 minutes.
2. Core apples and cut into small pieces, saving cores to make apple-cider vinegar if desired. Put apple pieces in a large skillet with water, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low so apples simmer.
   
   
   
   
3. Cook for about five minutes, stir in raisins, and continue cooking until apples are very tender, about five more minutes.
4. Check apples: they should be nearly dry. If there is more than a teaspoon or so of juice in the bottom of the pan, continue cooking uncovered until it looks like the picture below.
   
   
   
   
5. While apples cook, roll dough out into a roughly 10x12-inch square between two pieces of floured parchment paper, then peel off top piece of parchment paper. (The parchment paper pictured below measures 12x14.5 inches). Spread apples on dough, leaving a two-inch boarder on the short ends and an one-inch border on the long ones.
   
   
   
   
6. Roll up the dough from the most uneven short end toward the straightest one. Seal the roll by pinching dough along the top seam and ends, tucking ends under to help them hold and for beauty's sake. Cover apple-raisin roll with a clean tea towel and let rise for about 30 minutes. In the picture below, the left-most image shows the top seam partially pinched shut. The middle image shows the roll after it has risen. Notice how the pinched seam smooths out.
   
   
   
   
7. Slash the top of the roll three times so the steam can escape, cutting through the first layer of dough with a very sharp knife.
8. Use a rimless cookie sheet or an upside-down rimmed cookie sheet to slide the roll and the parchment paper it is on into the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until apple juice bubbles from the slits and the dough starts to turn pale golden brown, a little lighter than pizza crust. Again using the cookie sheet, remove the apple-raisin roll from oven.
9. Let roll cool about ten minutes so the dough structure and toppings can firm up, then slice and serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to five days.
   
   

Notes

• I'm now serving Resolution Revelation Apple-Raisin Roll for brunches and Sunday treats instead of the Two-For-One Apple Streusel from Wildly Affordable Organic. It's all part of moving toward a more plant-based, low-fat eating style that is even thriftier than the original menus in WAO.
• Not only will this recipe work for people on a plant-strong diet, but folks with diabetes will also appreciate that it has whole-grain flour and no added sugar.