By: Justin & Kayla Butts Photos by: Rachel Benavides
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OnbrChristmas morning, one thing is different in our house than every other day ofbrthe year: our little ones wake up first.
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Webrhardly hear their running footsteps before they jump on top of us in the bed tobrtell us about the presents beneath the tree and the signs that Santa Clausbrfound their cookies and milk.
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Webrstart opening the presents right away. The wrapping paper flies. Onebrgrandmother arrives, then the other, then Grandpa, each with more presents. Nextbrthe cousins arrive, then Nan, then aunts and uncles, friends of family, andbrfriends of friends.
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Wrappingbrpaper is piling up in all directions. Our Christmas tree flashes and glittersbrwith homemade ornaments. Old-fashioned carols play on 90.3FM. Children race in shoutingbrpacks from one room to the next to try out their new toys. Someone let the dogsbrin and they have wrecked half the living room before we swat them out. Our homebris filled with laughter, joy, and a raucous Christmas spirit.
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Butbrthere is one major problem with all of this. Mom and Dad (that’s us) have notbrhad their coffee yet! We have not had a second to make breakfast and it isbrstill a long time till lunch. This houseful of people, starting with our sweetbrbabes, will spiral out of control if we don’t serve some good food soon to fuelbrtheir Christmas morning.
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Thatbris where the Swedish Tea Ring comes into play. This regal cousin of thebrcinnamon roll is the perfect Christmas morning breakfast.
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First,brit is simply beautiful. The colorful ring shows all the goodness inside oozingbrout with icing over the top like an exquisite frost. The children gently tearbrapart their own pieces. Of all things in the house on Christmas morning, thebrtea ring gets the most respect!
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Thisbrdish is not what we might call health food, but it is much healthier than your standardbrissue cinnamon rolls. The bread is dense and delicious. The filling of driedbrfruit and nuts gives a great energy boost. The cardamom and cinnamon create abrwonderful, unique flavor. The natural sweetness makes this dish work.
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Bestbrof all, you can prepare the Swedish Tea Ring the day before and simply set itbrout for breakfast—instant goodness on the table and ready to go.
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ThebrSwedish Tea Ring completes the picture of joy on Christmas morning. A hungrybrfamily can quickly become an angry family. But this dish will keep them happybrand well until lunch.
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Now,brwhere is our coffee? Merry Christmas to all!
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SwedishbrTea Ring
Serves 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
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Ingredients:
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Dough
1 cup whole milk
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 egg
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Filling
6 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp granulated sugar
4 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
¾ cup golden raisins, or mixed dry fruit
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
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Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp milk
½ tsp vanilla
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Directions:
Combine milk, sugar, and butter over medium-low heatbrand cook until butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm (around 100°F) and addbryeast. Set mixture aside and let it ferment until foamy bubbles form. In abrlarge bowl, combine flour and salt. Add milk mixture and egg to dry ingredientsbrand knead (for about 5 minutes) until a smooth dough forms. Cover with a teabrtowel until dough doubles in size (about 1-1.5 hours).
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Heat butter in a small pan over low heat until melted.brMeanwhile, combine sugars, cinnamon, and cardamom in a bowl. Add melted butterbrto sugar mixture and mix until a paste is formed.
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On a floured surface, roll dough out to an oblongbrrectangle (about 6”x 16”) about ½“ in thickness. With a spatula, spread a thin,breven layer of sugar-cinnamon filling to cover the dough’s surface. Sprinklebrdried fruits and nuts evenly across the dough’s surface. Starting with a longbrend, roll the dough inward, forming a Swiss roll. Bring the ends of the rollbrtogether, and pinch all of the seams together to seal them. Using a sharpbrknife, cut the ring ¾ of the way through, leaving the center of the ringbrintact. Repeat this cut, every 1 ½” with the remainder of the ring. Rotate eachbrpiece of dough until the cut portion faces upward. Cover the ring with a clean,brdry cloth and let proof.
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Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, combinebringredients for icing. Bake ring for 25 minutes, until dough is golden brownbrand sounds hollow when thumped. Let cool on a cooling rack and drizzle withbrprepared icing prior to serving.
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