Make the dough

1. Sprinkle the yeast on the warm water in a small bowl with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside for about 5 minutes until the yeast is foamy.
2.  Melt the butter in a small pan.
3.  Crack the eggs and use a fork to whip them into the butter.  Once the eggs are smooth, add in the applesauce, sugar, salt, and vanilla stirring to combine. Check the temperature with your finger (the milk/egg mixture should be just warm to the touch.).
4.  Put the flour into a large bowl or your stand mixer bowl. Make a well in the center with your hands, then pour in the applesauce mixture and the foamy yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon to make a rough dough.
5. After that, with a dough hook on your stand mixer, beat the dough for about 7 minutes on low speed (2 on a Kitchen Aid) until you get an elastic sticky dough that forms into a ball around the hook.
6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the fridge to rise overnight or 4 hours minimum.  When you’re ready to make the rolls, the cold dough will be visibly puffed into a nice dome.

Make the rolls

1. Place your apple filling in a bowl near where you’re rolling out the dough.
2.  Sprinkle some flour on a work surface, preferably a pastry cloth, then scrape out the cold dough on top of the flour. Sprinkle flour over the top of the dough.
3. Quickly roll the dough into a rectangle about 12″X16″.
4. Brush a 9″x13″ pan with some of the room temperature butter.
5. Spread the rest of the butter in a thin layer over the dough with your hands.
6. Scatter the apple filling across the dough in one even layer.
7. Roll up the dough over the apples along the long edge into a tight log.
8. Eyeball or use a measuring tape to mark the dough for cutting the rolls into 15 pieces.
9. Cut the rolls with a serrated knife.
10. Set the cut rolls in the prepared pan.
11. Cover the rolls with a clean tea towel and let them rise at room temperature for 45 minutes.
12. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350F (180 C).
13. Bake the rolls for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and set.  Check to make sure that the middles aren’t too gooey.
14. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool while you make the glaze.

Make the apple butter glaze

1. Mix all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.  If you like a thicker glaze, omit the milk.
2. Spoon the glaze over warm rolls.

 Rolls are best eaten the same day that they’re made, but you can freeze them without the icing in an airtight bag for up to 1 month. To reheat, warm them in a pan in a 300F degree oven for 15 minutes. From there you can ice them.