Basic Sweet Dough, Sticky Buns, and Swedish Tea Ring
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes/Murph

Basic Sweet Dough

1/2 cup warm water
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk, scalded
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup shortening
7 cups flour

Pour warm water in large bowl; add yeast and stir until dissolved. Cool milk to lukewarm and add to yeast mixture with sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and half the flour. Beat with a spoon until smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour to handle easily. Turn dough out on to a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl; turn once to bring greased side up. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place (85 degrees) until double in bulk, about one hour. Punch down with your fist. Pull edges into center and turn dough over in the bowl. Cover and let rise again until almost double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Punch down and use as directed in recipes for Sticky Buns and/or Swedish Tea Ring.

Sticky Buns

1/2 recipe Basic Sweet Dough
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup melted butter
Raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup pecan halves

Roll dough into a 15x13-inch oblong. Brush with 2 teaspoons of the melted butter. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cinnamon and the raisins. Beginning with a wide side, roll up tightly. Pinch edge to seal. Cut roll into one-inch slices. Combine rest of butter, sugar and the honey. Spread evenly in the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange nuts evenly over the sugar mixture. Place roll slices cut side down about one inch apart over nuts. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about one hour. Heat oven to 375, bake about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately turn pan upside down on a flat tray. Let stand one minute, remove pan. Makes two dozen buns.

Swedish Tea Ring

1/2 recipe Basic Sweet Dough
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp soft butter
Maraschino cherries, halved
2 tsp cinnamon
Walnut pieces

Roll dough into a 15x19-inch oblong. Spread with soft butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over butter. Top with raisins and 2/3 of the nuts. Begin with a wide side, roll up tightly. Pinch edge to seal. Place on large greased cookie sheet. With scissors, make cuts 2/3 of the way through ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each slice on its side. Cover and let rise until double, about one hour. Heat oven to 375. Bake 25-30 minutes. Frost with White Icing and decorate with remaining nuts and the cherries. Makes one ring.

White Icing

Makes one cup

1 cup 10x sugar
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine, beat until smooth and of drizzly consistency to drizzle over quick breads and sweet rolls.