Thank God for Sweden

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately. Nostalgia is actually rarely far from me. Perhaps it's that change and living far from family and traditions has been a constant aspect of my childhood and adult life. Ritual and remembered tradition is very special to me.

Yesterday I began to crave the bread my mom would make every Christmas morning growing up. I'm not sure it was actually every year but my memory has deemed it so. I stayed up late yesterday making it and surprised my co-workers with it this morning... plus a few hungry children who were home sick :) Try it.. it may become ritual for you as well!

Swedish Tea Ring:

1 cup warm milk
2 packages of dry yeast (or 4 teaspoons bulk yeast) (let this sit in 1 cup of warm water for 5 min)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
6 to 7 cups of flour

Mix the following together for the glaze:
3 to 4 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
a pinch of salt

Add water or milk by the tablespoon until the glaze will dribble off a spoon. Set aside.

Measure warm milk into a large mixing bowl. Dissolve yeast in another bowl of warm water. Once dissolved pour yeast water in to the milk. Stir in sugar, salt, and butter. Beat in eggs. Beat in 2 to 3 cups of flour. Stir in remaining flour. Knead on a floured surface. If dough is too sticky, knead in a little more flour, a quarter cup at a time. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes. Afterward, knead dough for a few minutes. Roll out dough into a rectangle approximately 24 inches long by about 16 inches wide. Spread with soft butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Beginning on the wide side, roll up dough. When the dough is rolled, be sure the seam is on the bottom. Grasp dough on each end and pull gently to stretch the dough another couple of inches. Cut the roll of dough in half. Grease two cookie sheets. Take each end of one roll and put them together on the cookie sheet to form a circle. Use a scissors to cut about a third to a half the way through the dough at two inch intervals all around the circle. Gently turn the dough outward. That is, grasp the dough and turn it on its side so that the cuts are on the outside instead of on the top. Repeat with the other roll. Set in a warm place to rise for 45 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 35 minutes. Allow the tea rings to cool completely. Frost with powder sugar glaze. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the tea rings. Decorate with toasted almonds before the glaze has a chance to set. Cut into slices to serve. This recipe makes two large tea rings. Let me know how it goes!