Sunday, March 29, 2009

Tea Ring or Cinnamon Rolls

This is the Tea Ring that I took from the oven just a few moments ago and the Cinnamon Rolls that I made from the other half of the recipe. Nothing smells quite a welcoming or a homey as bread baking and adding cinnamon just takes it over the top.


This recipe, Betty tells me came from on old farming magazine years ago and she has made it her own. She used the same recipe to make crescents rolls and I had one at lunch on Saturday and it was wonderful. Since she handed this recipe out while she was doing her presentation at Manchester's Spring Shop Talk, I don't think that she will mind if I share it here with you.
Bare in mind that I had to make some changes since the Denman can't handle the soy that is in shortening and margarine to use butter. He ate two in rapid succession and just came in to give me a hug.
I also made a batch of E & R Bread and Linda's Chicken Pot Pie so he is doing well for a Sunday.
The recipe that Betty shared is called Overnight Refrigerator Rolls and will keep in the refrigerator in dough form for 3 days before you need to bake it into something. I didn't have refrigerator space available for this much dough so I covered it tightly and put in the garage on top of the freezer. Needless to say it is a bit warmer in my garage than in the refrig so the dough rose and I needed do something with it. So, my tomorrow morning project became my this evenings project. The recipe will make 2 tea rings or as I did, 1 tea ring and on batch of cinnamon rolls.
2 pkg quick rising dry yeast (if you are using bulk or jar yeast, there are 2.25 tsp. in each package of yeast that you buy)
1/2 C. warm water (105-115F) (I kind of know by the feel is the temp is right but your safest way is to use a candy thermometer)
1 tbsp. sugar
Mix this together and set aside (this is called "Proving your yeast.
3/4 C melted and cooled butter or shortening (that would be a stick and 1/2 of butter)
3/4 C sugar
2 C warm water
I melted the butter, sugar and water over a low heat but kept it cool enough that I could touch it without being burned
In a large bowl combine:
4 C bread flour (this flour is higher in glutan than say just regular Gold Metal and make better flour. Robin Hood is great out of the bag but if you can't get it use a good bread flour)
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 tsp. salt
Add in and mix well the butter and yeast mixtures. Continue mixing adding one cup at a time (4 more cups of flour, add no more than 1/2 cup more if needed) This will be a soft dough. Put the dough into a container large enough to allow it to grow, cover tightly and put in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to use the dough, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface and knead it down. Divide the dough in to two equal amounts. Using a rolling pin work the dough into a retangular shape no more than 1/4" thick. Betty would have you brush it with melted margarine but as I said, I must us butter. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar filling below. You may add raisins, pecans or what ever you like at this point but don't over load it. Beginning on one of the long edges, gentlely roll like a jelly roll finishing with the seam side down. Now you have a choise to make, are you making cinnamon rolls or a tea ring.
Cinnamon Rolls:
Line a jelly roll pan with partchment paper. With a long sharp knife slice off rounds about 3/4" - 1" thick. Place the slices evenly on the lined pan, leaving enough space between them for the rolls to raise.
Tea Ring:
Line a large pie pan with partchement paper. Instead of cutting all the way through with your slices, use your kitchen shears and cut almost all the way through. Now kind of pull it together toward the cuts and lay it around the inside of the pan. Now gently kind of work you fingers under and up to push to cuts to the top and make sure that the ends touch nicely.
Letting it rise:
Turn you oven on to pre heat but don't let it get over 100F. Turn the oven off but turn the oven light on and set you goodies inside to rise. It will take an hour or maybe a bit more to get the plumpness that you are looking for. Remove and preheat the oven to 350F. Bake 25 minutes.
Tea Ring or Cinnamon Roll Filling:
1/2 C sugar
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Mix it well with a fork.
Icing:
This is kind of loosely what goes in it. It is your mom's old butter icing.
1 C confectioners sugar
dash of salt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
enough evaporated milk of heavy cream to make it the consistancy you want.
Things I did:
I iced them warm but you don't have to.
I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer to do the mixing but you don't have to do that you can do this with your hands, it is kind of theroputic. It might be easier to do the rolling out on a table as the counter is often time kind of high for us ladies.
Anyway, this one works well and tastes great or so say the resident expert taster. He now says that next trip to Mt. Pleasant, I should make E & R Bread and these cinnamon rolls. I hope Dave, Gwen, Tina, Steve, Tori, Martha, Randy and Erica with her family are going to be there to help consume all of this.
God Bless and Hugs To All,
Linda

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