Raisin-Filled Holiday Ring

A festive holiday bread. A "crown" of dough tops a raisin-filled ring.

Yield: 1 coffee cake

Ingredients

Dough

3 to 3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 packages (4½ tsp) RED STAR Platinum Yeast
1 tsp salt
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup milk
½ cup water
¼ cup butter or margarine
1 egg

Filling

2 Tbsp butter, softened
⅓ cup sugar
1 Tbsp orange rind
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup chopped almonds
1 cup raisins

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened
½ tsp vanilla
1 to 2 Tbsp milk

Instructions

In large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups flour, yeast, salt and sugar; mix well. In saucepan or microwave-safe bowl, heat milk, water and butter until warm (120-130°F; butter does not need to melt). Add to flour mixture. Add egg. Blend at low speed until moistened; mix 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a firm dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place until light and doubled, about 1 hour.
Prepare Filling: Combine butter, sugar, orange rind, cinnamon and almonds. Mix well.
Punch down dough. Divide dough into 3 parts. Set aside one third of dough. On lightly floured surface, roll remaining two thirds of dough to a 14x10-inch rectangle. Spread Filling over dough; sprinkle evenly with raisins. Starting with longer side, roll up tightly. Pinch edge to seal. Form ring; pinch ends to seal. Place ring seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Brush top of dough with water. Roll reserved dough into an 18-inch rope. Place on top of filled ring, sealing ends together. With scissors, make 12 cuts in the rope; alternate the cut petals, bringing one to center and next to outside of ring. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet; cool on a wire rack.
Prepare Glaze: Combine Glaze ingredients; blend until smooth, adjusting the water/powdered sugar to get desired consistency. Glaze cooled coffee cake. Garnish with colored sugar and chopped almonds if desired.
Recipe featured at Stephie Cooks.