Christmas Tree Coffee Cake
Basic Sweet Dough
- 2 packets Fleischmanns Active Dry Yeast
- ¼ cup lukewarm water
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup butter
- 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour (Bob’s Red Mill brand). You probably won’t need all 5 cups.
- 2 large eggs
Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Scald milk in a heavy pot. Add sugar, salt, and butter. Let cool to lukewarm. Add flour to make a thick batter. Mix well. Add softened yeast and eggs. Beat well. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled (about 1 ½ hours). When light, punch down. Rest 10 minutes.
Cinnamon and Sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
Blend cinnamon and sugar. Makes ½ cup.
Fruit & Nut Filling
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- Powdered Sugar Icing (optional)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Makes icing for one coffee cake.
- Divide dough into three equal portions. Let rest 10 minutes before shaping. Take one ball, roll out, and shape into a tall and skinny triangle shape (like a tree). Save a small bit of dough and make the twist for the tree trunk. Attach it to the base of the tree.
- Brush the middle section with melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar, and then the dried fruits. Fold the untreated sides so edges come together in center. Pinch edges together and close bottom edge (triangle shape).
- Place on greased baking sheet, seam side down. Lift bottom of triangle and insert twist of dough to make trunk of tree. With clean kitchen scissors, snip each edge of triangle toward center section, leaving at least one inch strip in center “uncut”. Twist open cut edges so they rest one side up on baking sheet, one side exposed. Cover with a towel, place in warm spot, and let rise 20 minutes.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven, 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Frost with icing if desired.
