Merry Go Round Recipes

CHERRY-GO-ROUND

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, butter, egg, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and refrigerate overnight., Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll each portion into a 14x7-in. rectangle. Spread cherries over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Combine the flour, brown sugar and pecans; sprinkle over cherries., Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on prepared baking sheets; pinch ends together to form a ring. With kitchen scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly and twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Bake at 350° until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. , In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency; drizzle over warm coffee cakes.

MERRY-GO-ROUND

Steps:

• Heat the milk until it reaches "scalded" temperature, add the sugar, salt and butter/margarine. Stir well and let cool to lukewarm.
• Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Stir and add the milk mixture, the egg and half the flour. Beat until smooth, then stir in the remainder of the flour. It will be stiff, and you can use your hands to knead the dough into a well-combined ball.
• Grease a bowl, place the dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours. It can be kept that way for up to two days!
• Prepare two baking sheets by greasing each. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• On a floured surface, divide the ball in two, and roll each into a 14" X 7" rectangle.
• In a bowl combine the cherries (or cranberries) with brown sugar, flour, chopped nuts. Split this mixture reserving half for the second coffee ring.
• Spread the mixture on each rectangle of dough, leaving about 1/2 inch on the ends and sides bare. Starting with the longest edge, roll it to form a long roll, and pinch the long seam. It helps to moisten the edge with milk or water. Bring the two ends together making a wreath! Then pinch the seam to seal it. Then taking a sharp knife long enough to cut three-quarters of the width, cut every inch or so along the wreath. Place your knife under the one-inch piece and using your hand gently twist the dough to turn it flat so that you can see the filling. It spills out, so carefully push it back in, and wipe the pan of sugar as it will burn on it.
• Cover each ring with a towel, let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled. Then bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes. It should be golden brown on top. Frost while warm and if desired decorate with candied cherries.