Cinnamon-walnut twists
From Whole Grain Breads by Machine or Hand by Beatrice Ojakangas
(Macmillan) - This is one recipe where you really need to bake in a
conventional oven. The buttery walnut filling and the cinnamon-sugar crust
tastes delicious straight out of the oven or after freezing and
reheating. Large size (18 twists)
For the dough:
3 eggs plus milk (scalded and cooled) to equal 1-1/3 cups
9 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup barley flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons rapid-rising or active dry yeast
Filling and topping:
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup ground walnuts
8 tablespoons butter, softened
To mix the dough in the bread machine. First make the dough. Warm the eggs
under hot tap water, and crack into a measuring cup. Add the milk (cooled
to room temperature) to the eggs; pour the mixture into the pan. Add the
remaining ingredients. Make an indentation in the dry ingredients and add
the yeast. Select Dough, and press Start. If the dough is wet and sticky,
add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth yet soft
to the touch. If the dough is not soft to the touch but is very firm, add 1
teaspoon of water at a time, until the dough is smooth yet soft to the
touch. The machine will stop when the dough is ready to shape and bake.
To shape, fill and bake in the over. Lightly grease 1 or 2 baking sheets or
cover them with parchment paper.
Make the filling and topping. In a medium bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Remove half of the cinnamon-sugar to a small bowl; stir in the walnuts.
Melt half of the butter in a shallow pan, such as a pie or cake pan.
Reserve the remaining softened butter.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board or lightly oiled surface.
Punch the dough down, and roll it into an 8-inch (sampler-size dough),
14-inch (regular-size dough) or 20-inch (large-size dough) square. Spread
the dough with the reserved softened butter, and sprinkle the walnut
mixture evenly on top. Carefully fold the dough in half, pressing to seal
the edges. With a sharp straight-edged knife or a pizza wheel, cut the
dough from the fold to the seal into 6, 12 or 18 equal strips, depending on
the size dough you made. Dip each strip into the melted butter, and then
into the cinnamon-sugar. Twist each strip into a corkscrew and place in the
baking sheets. Cover the pans with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm
place until almost doubled, about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375F.
Bake the twists for 25 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.