With honey filling and vanilla glaze.
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A family recipe provided by Jennifer Kiel of Washington, DC, from her mother-in-law’s collection, started in Kent, Ohio. |
Christmas Coffee Ring
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
4-1/2 cups sifted flour
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Honey filling
Vanilla glaze
Red maraschino cherries
Heat buttermilk until warm. Combine buttermilk, shortening, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water and stir to dissolve. Add yeast and 2 cups flour to the buttermilk mixture. Beat two minutes or until smooth. Blend in eggs. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and satiny, about 5 minutes.
Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise till doubled in bulk, about one hour.
Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll out one half to a ten inch square. Brush with melted butter. Top with one half the honey filling. Roll up like a jelly roll; pinch edge. Cut in 1 inch slices. Layer slices, cut side down, in a greased ten inch tube pan with solid bottom. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise till dough reaches the top of the pan, about one hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done, covering with aluminum foil the least 20 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on rack. Drizzle with vanilla glaze; decorate with cherries. Makes 12 servings.
Honey filling: Combine 1/3 cup raisins, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind, 1 Tbsp. orange juice and 1/2 cup honey; mix well.
Vanilla glaze: combine 1 cup sifted confections sugar, 1 Tbsp. milk and 1 tsp. vanilla; beat until smooth.
I tried using half the recipe and making a wreath of the rounds of dough in an 8″ cake pan. The rolls were too large and had to raise too high. A 9″ pan might have been better. Or roll the dough to a 12 x 12″ square and make the rolls somewhat smaller. I baked these for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. The tops browned but the bottoms where a little underbaked. Next time use foil on the pans for the last few minutes of baking and do them for perhaps 25 to 30 minutes.
Yesterdish reminder: 1 package of yeast is 2-1/4 tsp. of dry yeast.