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1
Microwave milk and butter. Set aside until it cools to room temperature. In bowl of electric mixer, first add the yeast, then the flour (making sure it covers the yeast), followed by the sugar, salt, vanilla extract, egg and milk mixture. Beat using the dough hook attachment until dough passes the windowpane test (may take more than 5 minutes). The dough will have pulled away from the sides of the bowl and will become elastic. It will not be sticky. You can take a walnut size piece of the dough and stretch it with your hands. Your goal is to be able to stretch it into a thin (almost transparent) film that does not break easily. If you have not achieved this, continue beating. You can also google windowpane test to have a better visual idea of what I mean.
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2
Let the dough rise, covered at warm room temperature until doubled in volume. In my case I think it took me about 2 hours for dough to double. My trick is to microwave a cup of water until it boils, and then place the dough inside. Close microwave door and unplug (to prevent any accidents). Note that I have many times let the dough rise to about 3 times rather than 2 times the original size. Should not be a problem.
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3
Once dough has doubled, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, punch it down, and divide it into 12 equal parts.
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4
Fold the edges of each piece into the middle a couple of times so you will get a nice ball with a smooth surface on the bottom side. Flatten each ball with your palm to a circle with a diameter of 3 to 3 1/2 inch, keeping the center slightly thicker than the edges. Put 1 teaspoon of apricot jam in the center of every circle, and again carefully fold the edges into the middle as many times as needed to make sure the dough is wrapped around the filling. Pinch and seal tightly. Be careful. You want to avoid getting jam on the edges of the dough because it will make it harder to seal.
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5
Put every Buchtel with the sealed side down onto a 12x7 buttered or sprayed baking pan. It will look very tight but that is ok. However, you can use a 9x13 dish if this is what you have. Loosely cover the pan. Let it double. If you have enough space in the microwave, do the same trick. I think this might have taken me about 2 hours.
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6
Melt about 3 tbsp butter and carefully brush each roll with melted butter.
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7
Bake them at 375 u00b0F in the preheated oven (center) for about 25 minutes. They should be golden brown. Let the Buchteln cool 1/2 hour. Sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top. These rolls remain soft even after a couple of days so long as they are well covered.
