Week 2 (part 2): Swedish Tea Ring

Okay, people... here we have the official baked product for the week. For the past two years, Sailor Boy has been telling me about this amazing, wonderful, sweet, sticky baked slice of goodness that he grew up eating at the family Christmas gathering. In fact, I'd heard so much about it that I was concerned that anything I made would never measure up to the standard set by his Grandma. From what I understand, she's set the bar pretty high. This explains the minor anxiety attack I experienced at merely reading the recipe. Deep breath... and... GO!

Swedish Tea Ring

From Grandma Spencer

Makes 2 rings

2 pkg. yeast

1/2 c. warm water (approx. 100 degrees)

1 c. milk

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

cinnamon

brown sugar

extra butter

Combine yeast and water in small bowl; set aside. Scald milk (don't know how? Go here), then pour milk into a large bowl. Add butter, sugar, and salt.

When butter is melted, add the eggs and yeast/water mixture. Slowly add in 4 cups of flour (I used the paddle attachment on the kitchen-aid mixer for the first 2 cups, then switched to the dough hook for 2 more cups).

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface (I used the other 1/2 cup of flour called for in the recipe) and knead for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough becomes stiff. The dough will be quite sticky at first-- feel free to use a little more flour to "unstick" it from the counter if you need to. Lightly butter a large bowl, and place the dough ball into the bowl, turning it once so the dough is coated with butter (this is not a low cholesterol recipe).

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let it rise for 30-45 minutes in a warm place.

**Here's my tip for rising: put a coffee cup filled with water in the microwave. Nuke it for 2 minutes, then leave it in the microwave for a couple more minutes to build up some steam/condensation. Remove the coffee cup and put your bowl of dough in the micro. This gives it a warm, draft-free place to groove.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion out separately on a floured surface, to a rectangle-ish shape measuring about 15x12 inches. It does not, I repeat does not need to be a perfect rectangle. It's just a general shape/size recommendation.

Here's where it gets really good: Brush the dough with melted butter. Sailor Boy says Grandma was VERY generous with the butter. Who am I to argue? (Remember, I warned you that this isn't the time to worry about your cholesterol.) After it's sufficiently coated, sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on the dough (you can also add walnuts or raisins if you like). The recipe I have says 1 tsp. cinnamon and 3 Tbsp. brown sugar. Personally, I didn't measure. I kept sprinkling until Sailor Boy said "stop". Hey, he's the expert.

Starting at a long side of the rectangle, roll the dough up as tightly as possible.

Place seam-side down on a baking sheet (I brushed a little more butter on the baking sheet before I put the roll on it-- hey, why not add more butter?!). Sailor Boy says that Grandma used to leave it straight, but my roll was too big, so one ended up looking like a caterpillar, while the other got shaped into a circle. Hello? It's called Swedish Tea RING... rings are circular! Now, use your kitchen scissors to cut slits into the top of the roll, about 3/4 of the thickness of the roll (the slits should be approx. 3/4 of an inch apart as well). After each cut, use the blades of the scissors to fold/lean the dough over until you can see the inside of the roll. I know it sounds complicated-- hang in there! Soooo worth it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown. Oh yeah, if you haven't gotten enough butter yet, you can brush a little more on top of the rolls before baking, then sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top. Just a suggestion. :)

When they come out of the oven, you'll want to pour some yummy glaze on top. Here's a simple recipe:

Powdered Sugar Glaze

From www.cooks.com

(Double the recipe to make enough for 2 rings-- I'm putting a single recipe here)

1 Tbsp. butter (of course!)

1 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. milk (or orange juice)

Put butter in 2 cup glass measuring cup. Cook on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Add all ingredients. Whisk together. Drizzle over tea rings.

(The recipe on cooks.com says to drizzle over cooled cake-- I say do it while it's warm)

Alright, that's it! I know... super long recipe. Trust me when I tell you that it's so worth it. Our kitchen smelled like delicious cinnamon sugar doughnuts. I'm so proud to be carrying on a tradition that means so much to Sailor Boy. Grandma is 93 years old now and isn't able to make this dessert anymore, but I know she'd make it for Sailor Boy if she could. Here's what she (and Grandpa) looked like in 1938. I love the sassy looks on both their faces.

What's that? You want one more look at the finished product? Okay, here ya go... enjoy!