Hawaij Spice Rolls with Coffee Glaze

The hypnotizing spiral we all know and love! These Hawaij Spice Sweet Rolls are sweet brioche-type fluffy buns filled with the signature Yemeni blend of warm spices such as cardamom, ginger, clove, and cinnamon. A sweet cream coffee glaze then melts in just slightly, and it is heaven.

Hi everyone! This isn’t really going to be a hard sell, let’s start right there. We all love cinnamon rolls, filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, sometimes nuts and raisins. I updated this classic with a spice blend that is very much ‘home’ for me. Sweet Hawaij is a Yemeni blend of ground cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves that is typically mixed into your MORNING COFFEE. My Dad has been mixing Hawaij into his coffee for longer than I can even recall, and the second I smell that blend, I think of him.

Important Note: there are two blends of Hawaij, savory/soup Hawaij (cumin, turmeric, black pepper…) and the sweeter coffee Hawaij (this one). You need to know this in case you find yourself in a Middle Eastern or Kosher grocery store and pick up a jar of Hawaij. If I don’t have any from the shuk (market) in Israel, I always buy this Hawaij spice blend from Pereg.

Hawaij is traditionally mixed into coffee, so it was just natural to add a rich coffee glaze to these spice rolls. I add freshly brewed dark coffee and a bit of espresso powder to powdered sugar and a touch of cream. It’s perfectly sweet and a little bitter from the coffee. Make the glaze while the rolls are in the oven, and pour it on when they are slightly cooled, but still warm, so they can absorb all that glaze.

How do you make soft Hawaij Spice rolls?

For these Hawaij Spice Sweet Rolls, I start by making an enriched brioche-type dough with eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. It already sounds decadent, right? I love this dough because it is very fuss-free. I toss everything into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, and that’s it! Then, I mix up the spices, and add them to room temperature butter and brown sugar to make a spiced paste for the filling. I like this paste method better because it gives you a more even coating, and ensures equal amounts of filling in each bite.

From there, I roll up the whole rectangle as evenly as possible and pinch the end shut. Here is the hack of a lifetime: use dental floss to cut the cinnamon rolls! My Mom always did this trick, and it’s truly the best way to get a super clean cut without smashing the dough down, as a knife would. Run the piece of floss under the roll of dough, perpendicularly, then lift, cross the floss, and pull down to cut perfectly clean slices every time.

This recipe makes a “just-right” medium size batch – about 10 rolls, which are best eaten the day you bake them! When you remove the rolls from the oven, wait about 5-7 minutes, then drizzle the coffee glaze on top. I’ve loved seeing how busy you’ve been in the kitchen, bringing my recipes to life in your homes! If you make these Hawaij Spice Rolls with Coffee glaze, please tag me @lions.bread so I can see! Thank you so much for following along here friends! I love to hear your feedback and questions, so leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Want to prep ahead?

Mix the dough the night before serving, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough proof slowly in the fridge overnight. The following morning, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 15 minutes, then roll out and proceed with the recipe as written.

Want more ways to make breakfast extra special? Check out Chocolate Cheesecake Rolls, Lemon Cream Cheese Danish, Coffee Cake Banana Muffins

xo – LeAnne

5 from 1 vote

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Hawaij Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Coffee Glaze

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword Breakfast, brunch, cinnamon rolls, hawaij, sweet rolls

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

The dough

• 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter melted
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 3 cups unbleached ap flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

• 6 tablespoons butter softened
• 1 cup brown sugar packed
• 2 tablespoons hawaij spice blend
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coffee Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1-2 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso or black coffee
• pinch of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Make the dough

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the buttermilk, dry active yeast, melted butter, egg, and brown sugar. Use a fork or small whisk to combine, dissolving the yeast. Turn the mixer on low, and add unbleached all purpose flour, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix for 2-3 minutes, scraping the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula. Turn the mixer off, and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Then, continue to mix/knead the dough on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until the surface of the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or a clean kitchen towel, and let rise at room temperature for 1½-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Make the Hawaij Filling

1. In a small/medium mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, hawaij, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract. Use a fork to mix until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combine, and you've formed a smooth paste consistency.

Make the Coffee Glaze

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, instant coffee, cream, and kosher salt. Use a whisk to combine until the glaze is perfectly smooth. If you want a thicker consistency, add less cream. If you want the glaze a bit thinner, feel free to add more cream 1 teaspoon at a time (a little goes a long way!)

Assemble

1. Spray a 9x13" pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Pour the risen dough out onto your floured work surface. Flour the top of the dough lightly. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to a 10x5" rectangle. Fold the dough in half lengthwise. Then fold it halfway again, so you have a square. Flour the top lightly, and use your rolling pin to press the dough down, and roll back out to a 10x5" rectangle. This creates more layers of butter and flakiness.

3. Pour the spiced butter filling mixture onto the dough. Use a small offset spatula to spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2" border around the edges. Roll up the dough tightly, lengthwise, to create a long log, then pinch the ends closed. Use a long piece of (unflavored) dental floss to cut the dough in half in the center, by running the floss under the log and bringing the ends up, crossing them to slice down through the dough. Then cut each half into 5 equal pieces.

4. Place the rolls into the prepared baking pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and let proof at rom temperature for 1-1½ hour until the rolls are puffy and risen. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap, and bake the sweet rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let the Hawaij Spice Rolls cool for 5-7 minutes. Then pour the coffee glaze over the top.

Recipe Notes

The rolls taste the best the day you bake them. Store any leftovers at room temperature, and reheat in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees.

*to make ahead: Mix the dough the night before serving, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough proof slowly in the fridge overnight. The following morning, allow the dough to come to room temperature for 15 minutes, then roll out and proceed with the recipe as written.  

The post Hawaij Spiced Rolls with Coffee Glaze first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.