This yeast dough is great for beginners to yeast baking. It only needs one rise and it produces a rich, tender pastry. I love the flakiness combined with the crunchy cinnamon-brown sugar filling.
The recipe is from the
Fannie Farmer Baking Book , followed to a "t"!
They are also a great way to use up extra sour cream if you don't feel like making muffins or coffee cakes.
Sour Cream Twists
10-12 twists | Fannie Farmer Baking Book
Dough
1 cup sour cream, warmed
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 package dry yeast
1 egg
About 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons water
Lemon juice, optional
To make the dough: Stir the sour cream, sugar, salt and yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Let stand for a couple of minutes to dissolve the yeast. Stir well again, then add the egg and 2 cups of the flour, and beat until the mixture is smooth. Add enough more flour—about 1/2 cup—to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two, sprinkling on more flour if necessary to make a manageable dough. Roll and pat into a rectangle about 10×14 inches. Pull the corners out a bit if necessary to square them off.
Spread the softened butter over the dough in a thin, even layer. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, then stack one piece on the other, so you have a layer of filling in the middle and a layer of filling on top. Cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Twist each strip several times and place about an inch apart on a buttered baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, until the top edges are golden. Remove from the oven and transfer to racks to cool.
To make the glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, water and few squirts of lemon juice if you like, and beat until you have a smooth paste. Brush on the twists while they are still hot.
Less than 1 week to Christmas! It was a really weird feeling this weekend to be at the mall on the last weekend before Christmas and NOT have it packed with line-ups out the doors. I heard that online shopping has increased this year and I definitely feel that too when I am in the mall. Stores seem emptier and the sales seem better online. I know that personally, 75% of my shopping was done on eBay or Amazon this year. While baking delicious cakes at the same time!If you like molasses spice cookies you will love this cake. Moist, spicy and comforting - it is especially good when served with a hot drink on a cold day. With a medley of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, it immediately awakens your palate and makes your house smell like Christmas with its light texture and creamy crumb. Even if you leave out the other spices and use only ginger, this recipe produces a really tasty cake that freezes well, double-wrapped in foil.
Sour Cream Gingerbread
1 - 10" Bundt | 
