Bread Roses

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and sugar together. Add the margarine and rub into the flour with the finger tips. Add the Anchor Instant Yeast and mix.

Combine the beaten egg, pink gel food colouring, rose oil and lukewarm water and mix well. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough well for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with greased plastic and leave to rest for 10 – 15 minutes.

In a saucepan, mix the sugar and water together. Bring to the boil over low heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Knock the dough down and on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out and use a round cutter to cut as many discs as possible. Keep the off-cut dough covered with greased plastic to prevent drying. Arrange 5 – 6 discs so that they overlap in a horizontal line. Using a chopstick, bamboo skewer or the back of a dough cutter, press firmly along the centre of the disc line to create a deep indent, helping the discs fuse together. Starting at one end, roll the entire strip up to form a log. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the log down the centre along the indent - this will create 2 roses. Gently fan out the rose petals and place each rose into a greased muffin pan. Repeat with the remaining dough until all the dough is used up. Cover with greased plastic and allow to rise in a warm place for 10 - 15 minutes.