Recipe: Candy Cane Buns

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap – 2000-12-09
From: Paddy.Mtl.

Candy Cane Buns

Dough
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
4 cups flour
3 tbsp. sugar
grated peel of a lemon
1 cup butter
1 cup scalded milk
2 eggs

Filling
2 cups cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/3 cup honey
grated peel of half an orange

To make filling: Chop cranberries finely in food processor, chop pecans coarsely. Combine in saucepan with other ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until mixture is quite thick. Cool and refrigerate.

To make dough: Proof the yeast with the 1 tsp. sugar in the warm water. Combine flour, lemon peel, and remaining sugar. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Combine cooled, scalded milk with the proofed yeast and the lightly beaten eggs and pour into the flour and butter mixture. Toss lightly with a fork to combine. Cover dough and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

To make buns: Divide cold dough into two portions. Working with one portion at a time, roll out on lightly floured board to a rectangle 14 x 18 in. Spread half the filling down the middle third of the strip leaving a border 6 in. wide on either side. Fold the two sides over one another to make a 3-layered strip, 6 x 14 in. With a sharp knife cut crosswise into 15 strips. Twist these corkscrew fashion and bend one end down in a candy cane shape. Place on well-greased or parchment lined cookie sheets and put at once, no rising, into a 400 degree oven.
Bake about 15 min.

These are delicious but, unfortunately they don't keep well.