Basically a fancy, crisp, brown sugar/cinnamon-y breadstick, in a way? These require starting the dough the day before, so start today to have dessert to snack on all day tomorrow! (Time means nothing these days, all foods at all times, right? I’m going with it, anyway…)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 4 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

Caramel coating:

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Room temperature butter

To prepare the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the size of small peas.

In a measuring cup/small dish, sprinkle the yeast on warm water, stir, and let sit 5 minutes. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, then add the egg yolks and scalded milk. Stir until it starts to hold together, then knead until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease all over, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and set aside. Melt the butter for the caramel coating in a microwave safe bowl or small saucepan, then stir in the corn syrup.

Pour half into each of two 15×10″ jelly roll pans, then tilt the pans to cover completely with the butter mixture.

Sprinkle the brown sugar and nuts over the butter mixture evenly.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon of the filling.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts.

One at a time, roll the thirds into a 10×15″ rectangle. Brush the center third lengthwise with room temperature butter, then sprinkle 1/6 of the filling on the buttered center third.

This was a somewhat skimpy 1/6th of the filling – you can do a bit more.

Fold one of the side thirds over the center third, then cover that portion with butter. Sprinkle with another 1/6 of the filling, then fold the remaining third of dough over the top.

Cut crosswise into 1″ strips, then transfer each strip to one of the prepared pans, holding the ends of each strip in both hands and twisting the ends in opposite directions. Press the ends firmly into the pan, to hold in the twisted shape. Place strips about 1″ apart. Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Because I’ll be eating these locked in alone, I put one pan into the freezer after filling the pan. Once frozen, I wrapped the whole mess up pretty thoroughly with plastic wrap, and will eventually let thaw/rise for an hour before baking.

During the rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, get out some heavy duty foil. After 25 minutes baking, quickly cover the pan with foil (overlapping two pieces if you don’t have mega-huge foil), then immediately flip onto a table/counter. Let the pan sit for 1 minute, then lift it off the finished twists. Eat immediately, or cool completely before putting in an air tight container to store.

Caramel Twists

From Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook.

Dough:

• 4 1/2 cups sifted flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 cup milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

Caramel coating:

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)

Filling:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Room temperature butter

To prepare the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the size of small peas. In a measuring cup/small dish, sprinkle the yeast on warm water, stir, and let sit 5 minutes. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture, then add the egg yolks and scalded milk. Stir until it starts to hold together, then knead until smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease all over, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, take the dough out of the fridge and set aside. Melt the butter for the caramel coating in a microwave safe bowl or small saucepan, then stir in the corn syrup. Pour half into each of two 15×10″ jelly roll pans, then tilt the pans to cover completely with the butter mixture. Sprinkle the brown sugar and nuts over the butter mixture evenly.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon of the filling.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts. One at a time, roll the thirds into a 10×15″ rectangle. Brush the center third lengthwise with room temperature butter, then sprinkle 1/6 of the filling on the buttered center third. Fold one of the side thirds over the center third, then cover that portion with butter. Sprinkle with another 1/6 of the filling, then fold the remaining third of dough over the top. Cut crosswise into 1″ strips, then transfer each strip to one of the prepared pans, holding the ends of each strip in both hands and twisting the ends in opposite directions. Press the ends firmly into the pan, to hold in the twisted shape. Place strips about 1″ apart. Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

During the rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, get out some heavy duty foil. After 25 minutes baking, quickly cover the pan with foil (overlapping two pieces if you don’t have mega-huge foil), then immediately flip onto a table/counter. Let the pan sit for 1 minute, then lift it off the finished twists. Eat immediately, or cool completely before putting in an air tight container to store.