Lemon Twist Treat

LEMON TWIST TREAT

I love baking, so baking breakfast items is a good excuse for me to do what I like (plus, this way I don’t have to just eat boring cereal). From the 18^th Annual Bake-Off cookbook comes this tasty but dense breakfast bread.

Lemon Twist Treat

2 pkgs yeast OR 4 ½ tsp yeast

½ C warm water

1 pkg dry lemon frosting mix OR 1 pkg lemon frosting

1/3 C butter, softened

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

3 ½ C flour

3 oz cream cheese

½ tsp grated lemon peel

1 C chopped dates OR golden raisins

2 tsp milk

Before we begin, a word on the frosting: I didn’t know where I was supposed to find dry frosting mix, so I used a can of regular lemon frosting instead. This made the bread a little dense, but it was still delicious, so I don’t think it was a problem.

Soften yeast in water in a large mixer bowl. Add 1 C frosting mix, butter, eggs, salt, and 1 C flour. Blend well; beat 3 minutes on medium speed. By hand, gradually add in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Set aside ½ C frosting mix. Combine remaining frosting with lemon peel and cream cheese. Cut in enough flour to create coarse crumbs.

Knead dough on floured surface until no longer sticky. Roll out dough, one half at a time, into 12x10 in rectangles. Sprinkle each rectangle with half of the crumb mixture, and sprinkle dates or raisins in a line down the center.

Starting with the 12 in side, roll up jelly roll fashion and seal edges. Flatten slightly on greased cookie sheet. Using scissors or a knife, make diagonal cuts 1 in apart along the 12 in side to within ½ in of the edge.

Fold alternating slices right and left, turning each slice on its side, cut-side up. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350^oF for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets immediately. Combine reserved frosting with milk to create glaze and drizzle over cooled coffee cakes.

Like I said, these are very dense breads, but they are also very tasty. The cutting and folding created a very pretty pattern, and they are just sweet enough without feeling like dessert. I would definitely recommend baking these for a sweet and filling breakfast treat.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!