TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE, AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE....
we see and smell the evidence of this most festive of holidays and joyful season!
In my home, when growing up, it just wasn't Christmas if there were no Sour Cream Twists for Christmas morning breakfast!This most delicious of pastries was served just once a year, and no doubt, as they are not the easiest pastry to create and they are certainly very fattening, but oh by gosh by golly, ARE THEY DELICIOUS!The pastry is put together, and then allowed to rise in the refrigerator for 2 hours before being rolled out like a puff pastry. Baked for about 18 minutes and served hot, these tasty morsels can be made days ahead and frozen, then taken out to defrost while the gifts are being opened. Bake them off and then, watch them disappear!!
“Christmas Morning Sour Cream Twists”
These gems are
simply “heavenly” when heated just before serving, accompanied by a fabulous
cup of coffee.
Best made up to a
week in advance. Just bake, cool, freeze, then reheat (right out of the freezer) in
a 350F degree oven for 8 minutes before serving warm on Christmas morning. When
following the aforementioned protocol, these become a very fast and convenient
meal while doing so many other things on Christmas morning. Enjoy my family’s
recipe!
Oven: 375F
Baking
time: 15 - 18 minutes Re-warming
time: 8 minutes at 350F
Makes 3 dozen, 1”x
5” twists
Ingredients:
4 cups all purpose
white flour
1 tsp. salt (if
using salted butter, reduce salt to ½ tsp.)
1 cup unsalted
butter (2 sticks) if using salted butter, reduce salt to ½ tsp.
1 large egg plus 2 yolks
1 cup full fat sour
cream
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp. lemon rind
or “zest” ( please do not substitute here. Purchase a lemon, wash and dry, peel
thin strips off the exterior with a veggie peeler and mince or cut into fine
shreds)
¼ cup warm water
(110F - 115F) for softening the yeast
1 envelope yeast (2 tsp.)
1 cup raisins
1 - 2 cups white sugar
(for sprinkling onto pastry while rolling out- see step 6)
cinnamon sugar = ¼
cup sugar and 2 Tbsp. cinnamon (see step 9)
Directions:
1. in
large bowl, mix: flour, salt;
2. “cut
in” butter until crumbly (using a food processor work bowl makes this step
easy. Add flour and salt to workbowl, then add several cubes of butter at a
time and pulse until incorporated into flour mixture. Dump mixture into the
large bowl);
3. in a
glass measuring cup, beat egg and yolks and then mix in sour cream, vanilla,
lemon rind and yeast mixture;
4. stir
egg mixture into flour mixture and mix well by hand, then add raisins and stir
until all is completely mixed;
5. cover
pastry with saran wrap and allow to rise IN THE REFRIGERATOR for 2 hours;
6. heat
oven to 375F; remove pastry from refrigerator (pastry will appear to not have
risen), and sprinkle a flat surface with sugar (about 3 Tablespoons) and roll
pastry into an 8”x18”x ½” thick rectangle;
7. sprinkle
rectangle lightly with sugar, fold into 3, like an envelope, and repeat this
step two more times, making sure you use enough sugar so it doesn’t stick to
the board or the rolling pin;
8. once
the last rolling has taken place, use a pizza cutter to cut 1” strips, then cut
the strips into 5” lengths. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon sugar;
9. twist
each strip and press ends onto ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 15 – 18
minutes, or until very lightly browned on edges (or freeze and then place in
freezer bag as individually quick frozen twists, then defrost 1 hour and bake
as usual;
10. cool completely and
place in freezer bags and freeze up to one month. Follow reheating directions
and serve.