This pastry is easy to make, just a little time consuming. As I have previously mentioned, yeast has never been my friend, so I use a bread machine to make my dough. I use the Basic Sweet Dough recipe from the Cuisinart Recipe book that comes with their bread machine. You can find the recipe on page 63 at this link: Cuisinart Bread Machine Cookbook.
If you are one of the humans that yeast favors, you can make a standard sweet bread as the base without a bread machine.
I use all organic ingredients for a tastier treat.
I made the giant ring you see in the picture to the left for my co-workers so I made a 2 lb loaf. It made a huge tea ring that easily fed 25 people.
When I make it for home, I use a 1 lb loaf.
If you are using a bread machine, make sure to use the dough setting or you will end up with a nice loaf of sweet bread. Tasty, but not what we are going for.
While the dough is rising, get a stick of butter and 8 oz of cream cheese out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 stick of real butter
- 1 block or tub of cream cheese (8 oz)
- 3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar (depending on size of ring you are making)
- 2-4 Tablespoons cinnamon (depending on size of ring and how much you like)
Optional:
- Fruits like dried cranberries, blueberries, or raisins
- Nuts of choice
Making the Ring
Regardless of method you are using (machine or manual) let the dough go through it's first rising and then dump onto the countertop so you can roll it out (I layout 3 sheets of plastic wrap over my countertop to make it easier to clean up).Punch down the dough (get all the air out of it) and then let it sit for 10 minutes to rest.
Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4" thick.
Spread butter over the entire dough surface, making sure to get all the way to the edges.
Do the same with the cream cheese, over the entire dough, all the way to the edges.
Sprinkle with brown sugar or succanut until butter and cream cheese are covered. Then sprinkle the cinnamon. Make sure you put on a good amount of cinnamon or the flavor will be more bland. Roll the dough from the long end. Do not roll from the short ends or you will get a thick roll that is too short to turn into a circle.
Cut off the rough ends so you have a nice smooth end to join. Press the ends together to join the dough so no filling will leak out when you bake it. Transfer this ring to a baking pan lined with tin foil and sprayed with a no-stick spray. I use "Air Bake" pans to keep the bottoms of my baked goods from browning too much.
Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut 3/4 of the way through the dough every 1". Cut the whole way around the ring. Be careful not to cut through the tin foil on the pan.
Twist each cut section clockwise so that you can see the filling inside. It looks best if you pull each piece towards the outside of the ring slightly as you twist. Twist every section in the ring. Put the ring into a warm area, free of drafts and let rise until almost doubled in size.
Bake at 350' for 15-20 minutes, until the ring turns golden brown.
While the ring is cooling slightly, you can make a glaze or a cream cheese frosting.
The best cream cheese frosting recipe I have found is from that same Cuisinart Bread Machine Cookbook on page 62.
If you want to use a simple glaze, mix a cup and a half of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and then add water or milk one tablespoon at a time until its at the desired consistency. Drizzle over the warm Tea Ring.
My frosting is slightly beige colored because I used vanilla extract instead of almond. If you want a whiter frosting, be sure to use a clear extract. I hope you enjoy this Danish Tea Ring as much as my family does!
Enjoy!
Laureen
