Sweet Bread

Look what Hannah made!  Oh my this sweet bread is DIVINE! 

Sweet bread without the frosting

You know me, most things we make in this home are with healthy whole grains like Kamut, spelt, or hard white wheat.  What Hannah used was unbleached white flour.  (GASP!..haha)

This is a rather simple recipe, but the results are spectacular.  This would make a lovely gift  or a treat with a meal you might make for someone.  Here is the recipe and instructions.

Filling:
4 sticks butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
cinnamon
Melt the butter in a saucepan and add brown sugar - cook on low until smooth.  Set aside.

Dough recipe:
3 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 c. sugar
    Mix these dry ingredients before adding:
3 cups HOT water
    Mix together then add:
3 cups flour
   when dough is smooth put on dough hook and add:
2 cups flour

Knead until smooth and satiny.  Add more flour as needed.  Form into a ball, and oil surface.  Let rest and rise until doubled.

• Divide the dough in half and roll out each half into a circle to fit a 15" pizza pan.*
• Oil and flour your pizza pan and oil your hands.
• Place the first circle in your pizza pan.
• Spread butter/sugar mixture on top and sprinkle generously with cinnamon. 
• Place your second circle of dough on top of the sugar mixture - like a giant cookie with filling.
• Crimp the edges to seal.
• Place a small glass dish in the center (like ramikin size), but don't press it down - it's just to mark the center.
• Cut with scissors a 1" strip of dough from the outer edge to the center, but leaving about 1" from the center.  Repeat this all the way around. 
• Take the first strip and twist it  1-2 times and then lay the twisted piece back in place.  Repeat this with all the strips. 
• You will have something that looks like a sunshine.  :-)
• Let this rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.  The dough will be puffy and the edges will all be touching.
• Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.
• Ice the top.  If you want it to drip into all the nooks and crannys then ice when warm; if you want it white and thick then ice when cool.

ICING:
 3-4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
pinch of salt

* Be sure to use a pizza pan that is solid, not the kind with tiny holes in it.  Mine has the tiny holes and the oil leaked out and making a horrible mess of the oven!  (Very thankful for self clean feature)

Other things you can do with the dough recipe:

• Divide into 4 sections.  Each section will make a dozen dinner rolls
• Roll one of the sections into a circle and cut into wedges.  Roll up to make croissants.

Either of these options you would place on a greased baking sheet and let rise again until doubled.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden.