31 Days: Maple Butter Twists

Welcome to Day 19 of 31 Days of Baking as part of Write31Days October challenge.

Almost didn't make today's post as my inaptness with yeast breads really showed today. But I got it done and here it is.

Maple Butter Twists
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
about 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For dough, soften yeast in warm water. Heat milk just until warm (105 to 110F). In a large bowl, combine warm like, butter, sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture. Stir in eggs. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour; beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining 1 3/4 cups flour to make a moderately soft dough. Turn out onto floured surface; knead dough until smooth (3 to 5 minutes total). Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down. Divide in half. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for filling, stir together remaining ingredients except pecans; set aside. Grease two 8-1 1/2 inch round baking pans. Grease the outside of two 6-ounce custard cups; place a cup upside-down in center of each pan. Set aside.

On lightly floured surface, roll one dough portion to 14x8 inch rectangle. Spread with half of the filling. Sprinkle with half of the pecans. Roll up, starting with a long side. Seal ends and seam. Cut roll in half length-wise. Place halves side by side; twist strips together, keeping cut sides up. Gently stretch to 18 inches long. Form into a ring; moisten ends and press to seal. Place the ring around custard cup in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

Cover and let rise until nearly double (30 to 40 minutes). Place pans on baking sheets to catch any drips while baking. Bake in a 350F oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Loosened edges and carefully remove from pans; carefully remove cups. cool slightly on wire racks. Serve warm or cool. Makes 2 twists (6 to 8 servings each).
source: Hometown Cooking magazine, December 1999

The Filling

What I changed:

I made half of recipe. I am pretty sure I killed most of the yeast as the dough did not rise very much. Plus the spot where I placed dough for the initial rise was not as warm as I thought. Once I moved bowl, an hour later, to a warmer spot, it did start to rise somewhat. I went with what it did do. I also did not pay attention to the directions when it said to cut log lengthwise. I cut in half. Oops. So I sliced one of the halves lengthwise and tried to twist. It was too small and messy but I went with it. In the end I had one small twist and one log.

My Thoughts:

Since I baked on a cookie sheet instead of in a round pan, I think the filling oozed too much. I scraped it off the cookie sheet and slathered it on top. It hardened instantly into a crunchy top. Another error on my part. Taste-wise, the bread is good. I may have to make again properly to get the full effect.

Till tomorrow...