Imagine what would happen if a sticky bun and a cinnamon roll had a baby and such baby travelled through South America picking up all sorts of spices, aromas, flavors and ingredients and decided to have its own style. That is what a golfeado is, Venezuela's danish to die for.

I always love sharing a bit of my hometown with all of you, especially because if there’s one thing that characterizes Venezuelan cuisine is its combination of sweet and savory for the perfect medley of satisfaction and yumminess.

Ingredients

• 1 block of panela (unprocessed sugar cane) aprox. 350-400gr (12-14 oz.) 1/4 cup water
• 4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus a bit extra for rolling the dough
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup luke warm non-dairy milk
• 37.5 grams (1.3 oz.) fresh yeast (or 4 & 1/2 teaspoons dried instant yeast) 1/3 cup non-dairy yogurt
• 1/2 cup non-dairy butter
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon anis seeds, lightly cracked with the back of a spoon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Ground cinnamon to taste
• 1 & 1/4 cup vegan mozzarella shreds (plus more for topping each roll when serving
• Optional: 2-3 tablespoons of caramelized or plain almond bits or chopped cashews or almonds

Directions

1. In a small pot, add the block of panela and the water and heat on medium heat until completely melted and you have a syrup-like consistency.

2. While your panela melts, in a standing mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, salt, luke warm milk, yeast, yogurt, butter, 1/4 cup of the sugar (reserve the rest), vanilla and anis seeds.

3. Process on low, then on high until you have a sticky dough.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted panela into your dough and mix again to combine. You can also mix all the ingredients by hand if you don't have a mixer.

5. Knead the dough in the standing mixer for 6 minutes or for 8-10 minutes if kneading by hand.

6. Place two big sheets of parchment paper on your work surface and sprinkle them, and a rolling pin, with flour generously.

7. Add your ball of dough in the center and roll out into a large rectangle.

8. Spread out most of the melted panela over the rolled out dough leaving a border all around without any.

9. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and add some cinnamon on top, to taste.

10. Using the paper to help you, begin to roll the dough as if you were making a cinnamon roll, and continue rolling until you've reached the end of the dough and you have a large log.

11. Using a knife or metal bench scraper, cut the dough into aproximately
2 cm (1 inch) rounds, and place them cut side up in a parchment lined baking pan.

12. Continue this process until all the rolls are in the pan.

13. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise in the warmest part of your house for 90 minutes.

14. Towards the end of the rising time, pre-heat your oven to 350oF (180oC), and lower the oven rack one notch lower than the center of your oven.

15. Once your rolls have risen, you can add extra melted panela within the swirl of each roll if desired.

16. Add a bit of water between the corners of each roll, and if using, top each one with the almond bits or cashews.

17. Bake the rolls in the oven for 20 minutes. They should be golden on the top and soft and mushy on the bottom.

18. Serve warm, topped with extra cheese and enjoy this traditional Venezuelan danish!