SC - Recipe: Spanish babka (was cinnamon rolls)

[Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir]

>I look forward to redacting this one, since yeasted baked goods are
>something I enjoy making.  I also loo forward to seeing what other folks
>make of this one.

Thank you very much for the recipe. In some ways, it is remarkably like an
old family recipe which I sometimes make - this is a rich yeast dough,
spread with cinnamon-sugar and raisins, rolled loosely, twisted into a
snail-shape and placed in a large pan lined with more dough, then baked.
Here is the recipe, for comparision.

Cinnamon snail (AKA The Monster)

2 tbsps dried yeast
450 ml (2 cups) lukewarm water
2 tbsps sugar
about 1 kg flour (8-9 cups)
3 large egg yolks
100 g butter, softened (plus more for spreading)
3/4 tsp salt
75 g (about 1/3 cup) cinnamon-sugar
250 g (1/2 lb) raisins

Dissolve the yeast in the water with a pinch of sugar. When frothy, stir in
about half the flour, the egg yolks, butter and salt. Gradually add more
flour, until the dough can be kneaded with floured hands but is still fairly
soft. Knead very well, then place in a floured bowl for an hour or so, or
until doubled. Punch down the dough and reserve about a quarter of it. Roll
the rest out fairly thinly, to a size of about 30x60 centimeters (12x24
inches). Spread liberally with softened butter, then sprinkle with
cinnamon-sugar and raisins. Roll the dough up loosely from the bottom long
edge (three turns is fine). Now roll out the reserved dough into a circle,
slightly larger than your pan (I use a 12-inch pan), and press it down into
the pan and up the sides. Spread with some softened butter. Now arrange the
cinnamon roll in a circle on top, beginning in the middle, so that it
resembles a snail (or wheel, or whatever). Leave to rise for about 35
minutes and preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Brush the dough with cream,
milk or water with some sugar added, place in oven and bake for around 35
minutes. Do not cut immediately but the cake is best warm.

Notes:
The bottom layer used to line the pan becomes a part of the finished cake
and supports it; without it the cake would tend to fall apart when removed
from the pan.
The cake will rise high - usually to a height of 12-15 centimeters (5-6
inches). In my home at least, it is usually not cut into wedges; everyone
just cuts off a piece the size and shape he wants. Doesn´t matter, it
usually does not last the day.
Sometimes I top the cake with a white or chocolate icing but more often it
is served plain, with extra cinnamon-sugar for those who want a more sweet
cake.

Nanna


============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================