Blackberry Roll

When our older children were small, we lived in a neighborhood that had a long walking path winding around the border of the property.  Countless blackberry bushes grew along that path, so on summer evenings we had a picking frenzy for a week or two.  Reaching through those thorny briars trying to avoid getting scratched was challenging but fun, knowing the pay-off was piles of perfectly plump, sweet fruit for eating by the handful or making into a pie.  The children loved this adventure and looked forward to it every year.

One of my favorite recipes for a summertime treat is this blackberry roll.  It's simple to roll out the dough, pile it with sugar-covered blackberries, roll it jelly-roll style, drizzle with butter and bake.  We top it off with whipped cream, naturally.

Blackberry Roll

• 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• dash salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups blackberries
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter or more

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease a long shallow baking pan.  Sift flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt together in mixing bowl.  Cut in butter until mixture is mealy looking.  Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough.  (Use fork.)

Roll out dough on floured board into a 12X16 inch rectangle about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Wash and drain berries and mix with 1 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour.  Spread berries over rectangle of dough and roll up as compactly as possible.  

Seal ends of roll, press together with tines of fork.  Now place it in greased baking pan, brush top with melted butter.  Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees then reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 45 minutes longer, until crust is brown.  

To serve, cut roll in thick slices, serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Serves 8.

Love,