Cooking in Guyana....Salara!!!

If you like cinnamon rolls, you are REALLY going to enjoy this recipe.  In Guyana, they make something called Salara or Rolly Polly, Red Roll, and I'm sure many other names.  It is basically a sweet treat like a cinnamon roll made with sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon, but also with shredded coconut and red food dye.  I went over to my neighbor's house one night and we sat up, gaffed (chatted), grated coconut, and made some Salara.  I was impressed by how my neighbor kneaded the dough with such ease and she said she doesn't even like baking.  Of course in Guyana, there are very few who actually use written recipes.  As much as I tried to follow along, I could never tell you how many actual cups of flour we actually ended up using.  Luckily, some people do write these things down!

Salara—The Coconut Roll 

(Kind of like a cinnamon roll but with

coconut sugary goodness!)

1 tbsp. dry yeast The Filling:

1/4 cup warm water 1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup shortening 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

3 cups flour 5 drops red food coloring

1 egg beaten

1 tbsp. butter

1 egg white

 

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix and let stand.

2. Warm milk, combine shortening and sugar; add flour and egg. Knead to make a moderately stiff dough. Shape into a ball.

3. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover; let rise to double in size for about 1 hour. Punch it down, divided in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch by 8 inch rectangle, brush with melted butter.

4. Combine all filling ingredients and let stand for 1 hour.

5. Sprinkle half the filling mixture on each rectangle of dough. Roll up lengthwise, seal edge.

6. Cover and let rise until double in bulk.

7. Brush rolls with beaten egg white. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.