Swedish Cinnamon Twists

Swedish Cinnamon Twists

Dough:

1 Tb. dry yeast

1 Tb. sugar

¼ cup warm water

1 cup buttermilk

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ cup melted butter

2 eggs

5 Tb. sugar

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup dry milk

4 cups flour

Cinnamon filling:

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ cup chopped nuts

Powdered sugar glaze:

1½ cups powdered sugar

½ Tb. melted butter

2 Tb. hot water (or more as needed)

Boil buttermilk until curdled, set aside to cool. You can cut up the square of butter and put it in the hot buttermilk to melt. Dissolve yeast and 1 Tb. sugar in water. Set aside. Mix sugar, salt, dry milk, and flour. In a large bowl, mix cooled buttermilk, soda, and butter. Add eggs. Stir in yeast. Mix in flour mixture. Add up to 1 more cup of flour until dough is only slightly sticky.

Raise to double, about 1 hour. Roll all dough into a 12" x 20" rectangle, coat entire surface with 3 Tb. melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon filling on half of dough, covering the bottom half, horizontally. Fold the top, uncovered half over the bottom and seal edges. Cut into long strips. Twist each strip two times, taking care to keep filling inside. Then place the rolls on a greased baking sheet. Let rise until double, 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 375° for 10 to 12 minutes, until rolls sound hollow when tapped. Top warm rolls with glaze.

This recipe works well as cinnamon rolls, especially if the rolls will be eaten at room temperature, not hot out of the oven.

Tiffany's Notes: You can easily heat the buttermilk in the microwave in a glass measuring cup.  The recipe doesn't say how long to knead/mix this dough. I've found that I like the texture better if I knead it in my mixer for about 4-5 minutes. Make sure and keep it a soft dough and don't add too much flour. 

The twists look different from the standard cinnamon roll but they really are simple to form. You can also make these rolls in a cinnamon roll shape. 

These are wonderful warm—microwave for a few seconds if you are eating them later. But, as the note says, they are still great if you can't eat them warm from the oven or reheat them. They also freeze really well. I've even made them ahead of time, frozen them, and packed them for a road trip. I've sent them on campouts. I've made them for baby and bridal showers. They are always a popular treat!