Scandinavian Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 3 cup sifted enriched flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• melted butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• chopped walnuts

Method

Heat the milk to 80°C — just hot enough that you can't hold your finger in it comfortably. This kills wild yeasts and softens the shortening faster. Stir in the shortening, caster sugar, and salt; let it cool to blood temperature (around 37°C), which is the bread-fermentation sweet spot. Dissolve the yeast in warm water and add it to the cooled milk mixture.

Stir in half the flour to make a thick slurry, then add the beaten eggs and beat hard for two minutes — this develops the gluten network before you add the rest of the flour. Gradually work in enough of the remaining flour until the dough pulls cleanly from the bowl's sides. It should be soft and sticky, not stiff. Turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and kneading|knead for eight to ten minutes until it's smooth and elastic; the dough will feel alive under your hands, slightly tacky but no longer cloying.

Oil a bowl, place the dough in it, and cover with a damp cloth. Let it rise at room temperature (20–22°C is fine; you don't need the warmth the original recipe specifies) for two to three hours until it's roughly doubled and a poke with your finger leaves an indent that doesn't spring back. This is bread-rising|bulk fermentation, and the longer rise at cooler temperature builds flavour better than rushing it in heat.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and bread-shaping|shape it into a rectangle roughly 20 by 30 centimetres. Brush it with melted butter, then sprinkle firmly packed brown sugar mixed with 10 grams of cinnamon over the entire surface. Roll it tightly from the long side like a Swiss roll, seal the seam, and form it into a ring on a greased baking tray, pinching the ends together. Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut from the outside edge toward the centre at 2.5-centimetre intervals, stopping about 2 centimetres from the middle. Twist each segment outward slightly so the swirled interior shows.

Cover and proof for 45 minutes to an hour until the dough springs back slowly when poked — it should have visibly expanded but still have some tension. Bake at 200°C for 25 to 30 minutes until deep golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped. While still warm, brush with a thin icing made from icing sugar and water, then scatter chopped walnuts over the top.