Roly Poly
Submitted by frick on August 05, 2012 at 9:09 pm

A variation on an English dessert, it's a shortcake dough filled with summer fruit and rolled, then baked and served with cream or ice cream.
Yield: 8 servings
Source: By Marion Cunningham, courtesy LA Times, August 11, 1994

James Beard used to teach this in all his classes. He preferred his rolled up lengthwise, resulting in a high biscuit to fruit ratio. An English Roly-Poly is filled with dried fruit, jam or molasses and served with crème anglaise. Strangely enough, there is NO OVEN temp or pan size specified. I bake it at 350F and it fills a 9 X 13” pan. It’s drop dead easy, colorful, delicious and not your usual summer dessert.

6 cups blackberries (I use peaches with some blueberries)
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt

Shortcake Dough (recipe below)
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream

Put berries in bowl and sprinkle sugar and salt over. Toss gently until all are well distributed.
Roll Shortcake Dough into rectangle about ½ inch thick. (should be approximately 14” long and 7” wide). Spread melted butter over Shortcake Dough, then cover with some of berries and roll up loosely. Place roll in center of baking dish and spoon remaining berries all around. Bake about 40 minutes, or until wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove. Serve warm with heavy cream (or whipped cream or ice cream). 6 or more servings.

Shortcake Dough
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar
5 tbsp. butter
2/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. Cut in butter, then stir in milk, using just enough to hold dough together. Turn out onto floured board and knead 1 minute. Pat into ½ inch thickness and continue with recipe.

You may substitute any other fruit or berries. I generally use fresh peaches with a few blueberries (from the freezer) spotted in. Very colorful that way.