What Is A Swedish Tea Ring

A Swedish tea ring is a traditional pastry served at Christmas. Similar to American coffee cake or cinnamon rolls, the tea ring is served in the morning or late afternoon as a snack with tea. A sweet yeast dough is wrapped around a filling of fruits, nuts or spices, then formed into a ring or braided. The recipe may seem daunting, but the result and presentation are well worth the effort.

Sweet Dough

A basic sweet yeast dough is made of flour, warm water, active dry yeast and sugar. After you mix the dough, turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it for six to eight minutes. You can knead it hand or with a stand mixer. To knead with a stand mixer, use a dough hook to mix the dough until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl on its own. Place the dough into a bowl, and cover loosely with a towel. Set aside and allow your dough to rise until it has grown to double its size. On a well-floured surface, roll your dough out into a large rectangle. Brush the dough with melted butter.

Filling

Filling option are as limited as your imagination. Traditional fillings are nuts, raisins and cinnamon. Experiment until you find a combination that works for you. Try walnuts, cashews, cream cheese, different fruit jams and jellies, dried fruits, pastry cream, puddings or chocolate chips. You will need 1 1/4 cups of filling to fill the roll. Sprinkle the filling of your choice over the melted butter as evenly as possible, then press slightly.

Forming

Start with the longer side of the rectangle and carefully roll the dough. Roll the bread dough around the filling like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the seam to seal. Place onto a baking pan that is coated with cooking spray. Bring the ends together to form a ring. Use scissors and section the dough in 1 inch intervals. Be careful not to cut all the way through the dough. Slightly bend every other section toward the center to reveal the filling in every roll. The Swedish tea ring should have the shape of a wreath.

Finishing

Cover and let rise one more time, about 40 minutes. Bake in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Whisk together powdered sugar and milk to create an icing. After the tea ring is cool, drizzle with the icing and serve. At Christmas, it is popular to sprinkle with green and red sugar crystals to give the appearance of a Christmas wreath.

Tags: around filling, dough into, melted butter, stand mixer, Swedish ring