Goldstein calls this a "Scandinavian coffee cake," but it’s a cinnamon roll in my world. And they look great! Baking delicious things like this makes me feel so accomplished.
Here’s the recipe:
5 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
7-8 cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup currants
Glaze:
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
3 tbsp hot milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water until bubbly. Stir in the milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and half of the flour. Beat well. Gradually add enough flour to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turning to grease the top. Cover and leave to rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down the dough and let rise again until nearly doubled, 30-40 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Roll out each piece into a 9 by 18 inch rectangle. Spread each rectangle with 2 tbsp butter and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup nuts, and 1/4 cup currants. Starting with a long end, roll each rectangle tightly as for a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to seal. Transfer the rolls seam side down to lightly greased baking sheets. Bring the ends of the rolls together to form a ring and seal tightly.
With kitchen shears make cuts every 1 inch or so around the rings, cutting two thirds of the way through the dough. Gently turn the slices to one side, then the next, as you move around the rings, revealing the filling. Leave the loaves to rise until slightly puffy, 35-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by mixing together the confectioner’s sugar, milk, and vanilla. When the loaves are done, transfer them to racks set over wax paper. Spoon the glaze over them while they are still warm.
Makes 2 loaves.
Posted by rutabaga_love on 2008-04-22 23:58:20
Tagged: , Darra Goldstein , The Vegetarian Hearth , cinnamon walnut wreath
