Raisin Cinnamon Roll Wreath Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and softened butter and mix until it becomes a spreadable paste.
• Roll out the pizza dough and evenly spread the cinnamon filling over it.
• Roll the dough back up into a tube.
• Cut the tube in half lengthwise.
• Twist the dough to form one long braid.
• Bring both ends together to create a circular shape.
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through.
• In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, melted butter, and vanilla with a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
• Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon wreath.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, eggs, sugar, salt and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down; turn onto a floured surface. Divide into four portions. Roll each portion into a 12x8-in. rectangle. In a bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Sprinkle with pecans. Roll up each jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal., Place each roll seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan; pinch ends together to form a ring. With scissors, cut from an outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show, slightly overlapping previous strip. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over coffee cakes. May be frozen for up to 2 months.

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle in the yeast and then a pinch of granulated sugar. Set aside undisturbed until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk together the salt, nutmeg, 2 3/4 cups of the flour and the remaining granulated sugar in a large bowl.
• Beat together the melted butter, vanilla and egg yolk in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium high until combined. Add the yeast mixture and continue to mix on low until combined. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until a thick and slightly sticky dough forms. Once the dough comes together, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed, to make a soft, smooth ball that sticks to the hook, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Coat a large bowl generously with cooking spray. Add the dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (The dough can also be tightly wrapped and refrigerated overnight. Let it come to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.)
• For the filling: Combine the butter, granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Set aside.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Sprinkle the butter mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border along the top edge. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log. Pinch to seal at the seam and then put on the counter seam-side down. Form the log into a circle, pinching the ends together. Squeeze and roll the dough if needed so it is an even width throughout.
• Transfer the log to a parchment lined-baking sheet. Cut 16 slits across the log, about 1 inch apart; each slit should go about three-quarters of the way through the log so that it is still completely intact. Bend about a quarter of the log by turning some of the newly cut "tabs" out so that the pinwheels of filling are facing up. Continue turning the "tabs" out and bending the log until you have a ring. Butt the ends up against each other. Loosely cover the wreath with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake until the wreath is golden brown and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack until just warm, about 10 minutes.
• For the glaze: Whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk and lemon juice in a medium bowl to make a thick but pourable glaze, adding a little more confectioners' sugar if needed to get the right consistency. Drizzle over the wreath and let harden before serving. To serve, decorate with candied cherries and mint leaves to resemble holly sprigs.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and salt. Toss with your hands to mix.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once it's melted, add the milk and remove from the heat. The mixture should register 125 to 130 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, so let it cool or warm it as needed. It should feel warm to the touch, but not be hot. Pour the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture, along with the beaten eggs. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed, and knead until the flour has been fully incorporated and you're left with a smooth, supple dough that's firm to the touch, about 5 minutes. (When you press it with your thumb, the dough should spring back gradually.)
• Gather the dough and shape it into a round ball in your hands, then transfer to a large, lightly buttered bowl, turning over a couple times to coat with the butter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• While the dough is rising, prepare the filling: Place the raisins in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to plump, then drain, and return to the bowl. Add the almond extract and toss with a spoon to coat. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt mixing with a fork or your hands to remove any clumps. Set aside.
• Fill and assemble the dough: Lightly flour a clean working surface, and a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper nearby. Cut the risen dough in half with a pair of kitchen shears. Place one half of the dough on the floured surface, keeping the other half covered in the bowl. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out to a 12-by-9-inch rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick), picking up the dough to stretch and turn it with your hands to make the edges as straight and even as possible. Spread 4 tablespoons of butter evenly over the entire surface using the back of a spoon. Evenly sprinkle over half the almond mixture, spreading with your hands to cover every inch. Firmly pat the mixture down to help it adhere to the butter. Evenly sprinkle over half of the raisins, pressing down firmly to help keep them in place.
• Starting with one of the longer edges, tightly roll the dough into a log ending with the seam side down on the counter pressing the log down firmly to help seal the seam closed. The log will feel very stuffed. Wipe down and re-flour the work surface, then repeat with the other half of the dough and the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, almond mixture and raisins.
• Carefully transfer the two rolled logs, seam side down, to the lined sheet pan and arrange together to form an oval or circle with their ends barely touching. Using kitchen shears with the point of the shears facing down toward the counter, cut slits into the ring roughly 1 inch apart, being careful not to cut all the way through the ring by leaving a 1/2 inch dough still attached at the bottom. One by one, lean every other rolled piece outward away from the center of the ring, creating a staggered look. Make any final adjustments to the shape that you like, turning some rolls up slightly to create air between them and filling out the baking sheet, being sure to keep a rough circular or oval shape.
• Loosely cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and allow it to rest on the counter until slightly puffed, 30 to 40 minutes. (At this point, you can refrigerate the dough overnight: Wrap the entire pan of slightly proofed rolls very well in plastic wrap, being sure not to squish the rolls, but ensuring the wrapping is airtight. Chill for up to 12 hours. Remove the pan from the fridge and place them on the counter for an hour or so before you're ready to bake them, so they come to room temperature.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir the milk and the granulated sugar with a spoon until the sugar dissolves. Uncover the risen rolls. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the rolls with the milk wash.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the wreath is deeply golden brown on top and the edges of the rolls are puffed and cooked through. Remove the rolls from the oven and place the sheet pan on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
• When the rolls are almost done cooling, make the icing: In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix the cream cheese and butter. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth and most of the clumps of sugar are gone. Add the vanilla and milk and mix. The icing should be thin enough to drizzle. If it isn't, mix in another tablespoon of milk.
• With your serving platter nearby, carefully lift the wreath using the parchment and lower onto the platter with the paper. Tear the parchment down the center and along the edges, then carefully pull out the paper without disturbing the wreath. Decorate the finished wreath with the icing: Drizzle it over the top with a fork or transfer to a piping bag with a small tip or a resealable plastic bag with a corner cut open to pipe thin lines along the tops of the rolls. Or smear the icing all over the tops of the rolls using a butter knife. Decorate with a ribbon, or dried or sugared fruit. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 piece of dough, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie.
• Make the cinnamon-roll crust: Lay the remaining piece of dough on a lightly floured surface, and spread 2 tablespoons of the butter evenly on top. Combine 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle evenly over the butter; gently press with your fingers to help the mixture adhere. Roll the dough up into a tight log. Trim and discard about 1 1/2 inches from each end, and cut the remaining log crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Arrange the pieces, cut-side down, in a snug circle on floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the pieces with flour, then gently roll out into a 10-inch round. Slide the parchment onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the pie.
• Put the dark and golden raisins in a medium bowl with hot water to cover. Let them soak until tender, about 5 minutes, then strain.
• Make the filling: Peel and core the apples, cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices and toss with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon juice in a large bowl. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the firmer apples soften but hold their shape, 15 to 18 minutes. (The softer apples, like McIntosh, will get very soft and saucy.) Add the flour, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the nutmeg and salt, and stir until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the raisins and let the filling cool completely. (The filling can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.)
• Fill the dough-lined pie plate with the filling in an even layer. Invert the cinnamon-roll crust on top, and peel off the parchment. (It's OK if the individual rounds separate a bit in the process.) Pinch the crusts together. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, and crimp as desired. Brush with the egg, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Bake the pie: Place a baking sheet in the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees F. Set the pie on the hot baking sheet, and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. (Tent loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.) Transfer to a rack to cool slightly.
• If using a glaze, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and milk in a bowl until smooth. (Add more milk if the glaze is too thick.) Drizzle over the pie.