Today’s Christmas Project Experiment (in advance of Christmas morning, in case it turned out to be a complete disaster) was this Spiced Cinnamon Cardamom Swirl Wreath…. essentially a whole lot of little cinnamon buns arranged ad then baked together in a wreath. You can pull it apart, taking a little or big swirl as you please. It’s absolutely delicious and came out pretty much as I expected (there is always that moment when you put it into the oven and the baking puts it out of your control, and you wonder if it will stay as pretty as it un-baked, but it did end up quite nice). Yay for experiments gone right!
Ingredients
For the dough
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 3/4 cups milk, heated to between 100 – 110F
1 stick of butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the filling
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks), softened to room temperature
pinch of salt
pearl sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
for the glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
3-5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
You will also need: a pastry brush for the glaze.
Directions
In the work bowl of your stand mixer, add two cups of the flour, and sprinkle over 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the yeast. Melt the butter and heat the milk until it is just warm to the touch, between 100 and 110F. Mix the butter and the milk into the dry ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes to let the yeast activate. Then add in the remaining sugar, flour, cardamom and salt. Using the dough hook, combine until the dough is well combined and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Kneed by hand until the dough forms a ball. Cover the dough and allow it to rise for about 1 hour in a warm place.
In the meantime, allow the butter for the filling to softened and work the sugar, almond extract and cinnamon into the butter to form a paste.
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a cookie sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
Once the dough has risen, divide it in two (two thirds, one third), roll each in turn out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the dough and roll it up jellyroll style. One should be significantly narrower than the other, as you want varying sizes of swirls. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into slices and alternating bigger and smaller swirls in the form of a wreath. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30-40 minutes.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. While they are baking, mix together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. It should be loose, syrup-like consistency. Remove the rolls from the cookie sheets and transfer to a rack to cool. While they are still warm (but not too hot), brush with some of the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.
