Swedish Tea Ring

Perfect for sharing with friends and family, a Swedish tea ring makes an attractive centrepiece for Sunday brunch or afternoon tea. This yeast bread, flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom, is filled with plump raisins and homemade butter, then topped with a sweet glaze to bring it all together.

The Swedish Tea Ring was the Technical Bake during Bread Week in Season 6 of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Swedish Tea Ring

Ingredients

Dough:

• ¾ cup warm water, 105 F to 115 F
• ½ cup plus 1 tsp (100 g plus 4 g) granulated sugar, divided
• 1 package (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
• 3¾ cups (540 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 eggs, room temperature, beaten

Butter for Filling:

• 1½ cups 35% cream
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Ice water

Filling:

• 1⅓ cups (200 g) raisins
• 2 cups boiling water
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp ground cinnamon

Egg Wash:

• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp 35% cream

Glaze:

• 1 cup (113 g) icing sugar
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• ½ tsp almond extract

Preparation

Dough:

Place warm water in a medium glass bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast over the water, gently mix with a wooden spoon to combine, and set aside to activate for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and cardamom in a large bowl until combined.

When the yeast mixture appears activated and bubbly, add the eggs, melted butter and remaining sugar, and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix the two together, starting from the middle and pulling in the flour from the sides, until a shaggy dough is formed. 

Lightly coat a large bowl and sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s soft and elastic, about 10 minutes (the dough will stick to the surface at first, but will tighten up as you knead). Place the dough in the prepared bowl and cover it tightly with the greased plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a proofing drawer and let the dough rise until it grows by one-third and the plastic wrap has domed, about 30 minutes. Without a proofing drawer, this will take about 1 hour.

Filling:

Meanwhile, put the raisins in a small bowl, cover them with hot water, and let them sit until they’re plump, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. 

Add the cream and salt to a large glass bowl and beat with a hand mixer until the liquid and solids separate. 

Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice and water. Line a fine-mesh strainer with three layers of cheesecloth. Pour the butter mixture into the strainer, draining the buttermilk into a separate small bowl. Hold the cheesecloth by its edges and twist to squeeze out as much buttermilk as possible, then plunge it in the ice bath to rinse off any excess. In a small bowl, mix the softened homemade butter with the sugar, salt and cinnamon, and set aside.

Turn the dough onto a well-floured work surface and roll it out to an even 12-by-18-inch rectangle. Using your hands or an offset spatula, gently spread the cinnamon-sugar butter all the way to the edges of the dough. Sprinkle the raisins overtop, taking care to distribute them evenly. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the dough to form a log, pinching the seam to seal (the log should measure 18 inches long and 3½ to 4 inches wide). Transfer the log to the prepared baking sheet, seam side down, and shape it into a 9-inch ring, gently pressing the ends together to seal. Use scissors to cut three-quarters of the way through the ring at approximately 2-inch intervals — there should be 12 cuts total. Gently twist each section on its side so the cinnamon swirl is visible. Cover the ring with a damp, clean tea towel and place it in a proofing drawer until wet, glistening and doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Without a proofing drawer, this will take about 1 hour.

Carefully remove the towel from the dough. Whisk together the egg yolks and cream, and brush the egg wash evenly over the top and sides of the ring.

Baking:

Heat the oven to 375 F. Bake the ring until golden brown and baked through, about 20 to 25 minutes (it’s fully baked when it reaches an internal temperature of 210 F). Transfer the tea ring to a wire rack to cool.

Glaze:

Combine all of the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and velvety. Transfer the glaze to a parchment paper cone or piping bag and drizzle it on the bread. 

Makes one tea ring