Strawberry & Cream Roly-Polys

Method

1. Tip the freeze-dried strawberries into a food processor and whizz to a powder. Transfer to a bowl, then wash the bowl of the food processor.

2. Put the butter and flour in the food processor with a good pinch of salt and blend until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar and whizz again. In a small bowl, whisk together the vanilla extract, egg yolk and cream, then add to the mixture in the food processor and whizz again until the dough clumps around the blade and most of the small crumbs have been worked into the dough.

3.  Scoop half the dough out of the processor (being careful not to cut yourself on the sharp blade) and briefly knead it on a work surface to bring it together. Shape into a round, then wrap in cling film and chill. Add the strawberry powder and a few drops of food colouring to the remaining dough in the blender, and whizz again until evenly coloured and combined – it should be bright pink (add more colouring if needed). Tip onto the work surface, flatten to roughly the same shape as the other dough, then wrap and chill for 30 mins.

4. Remove both pieces of dough from the fridge   10-15 mins before rolling. Flour the work surface and unwrap the doughs. Put one piece on top of the other, squashing the sides until they are roughly the same shape. Flour your rolling pin, then roll into a rectangle, roughly 25cm x 20cm. This is easiest if you first ‘notch’ the dough – press the rolling pin firmly over the surface in one direction to make a long indentation, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat the process. 

5. From one of the longer sides, roll the dough into a tight coil, as you would a Swiss roll. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 1 hr. You can freeze it for up to two months at this stage. About 10 mins before you are ready to bake the biscuits, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

6. When the dough is firm, cut off and discard the ends, then slice into discs (about the thickness of a £1 coin). Lay them out on your baking trays, a little apart, and bake for 15-17 mins, swapping the trays halfway through cooking, until the biscuits are firm and turning golden around the edges. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a biscuit tin for three days.