Swedish Tea Ring

Serves 6-8. Recipe is from Adair Dunn.

2 (0.75-oz.) pkgs. dry yeast

3 tbls. sugar

2 cups water, lukewarm, divided

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup melted shortening, cooled

2 tsps. salt

7 cups all-purpose flour, or enough to make a stiff dough

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

11/2 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon

Topping:

1 (1-lb.) box confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 small jar maraschino cherries, each cherry sliced in half

1 cup finely chopped pecans or 1/2 cup large pecan halves

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup lukewarm water.

2. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, shortening, salt and the other cup of water. Blend with yeast mixture.

3. Sift in flour, one cup at a time, until firm and kind of sticky. Turn dough onto floured board. Rinse bowl and grease it. Put dough back in bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.

4. Punch down dough. Put it back on a floured board and knead for five minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle 3/4 of an inch thick.

5. Spread with softened butter or margarine, then sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon, covering the entire dough. Roll the rectangle up like a jelly roll and join ends together to form a ring.

6. Make slits with a sharp knife at equal points around the ring. Place on a large greased pan and let rise, covered, for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake about 25 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Slide onto a serving tray.

8. For the topping, mix the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Add water until the mix reaches a glaze consistency. Drizzle the glaze on the tea ring, then add cherries and pecans.