The first step in making tea rings is to make the dough, which is a sweet dough that can be formed into just about anything from dinner rolls to breadsticks to dessert breads.
To make the dough, first, set aside the yeast mix dissolved in 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl and follow the directions on the package, making sure that the temperature of the warm water is not too hot so it kills the yeast and not too cool so the yeast doesn't grow and makes your rolls flat.
Next, in a large mixing bowl--a large mixer with a dough hook is the easiest--combine and beat until smooth
- 1 heated cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of shortening (butter, lard, margarine--lard is recommended)
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 cup lukewarm water.
Cool the mixture to lukewarm so that when you add the egg and yeast they don't get too hot. Beat in 2 cups of flour and 1 egg. Add yeast mixture and approximately 4 cups of flour--this depends on how sticky the dough is and how much you will use to knead it later. Transfer the mixed dough to a floured surface to knead lightly for 10 to 15 minutes (unless you used a mixer with a dough hook, so then there is less kneading required).
Once the dough is elastic and has a surface that holds in bubbles, you can place it smooth side up in a greased, large bowl (we use big Tupperware bowls). Set it in a warm place with a dish towel (smooth, not fluffy one) over it while you allow it to rise until it is doubled in size. When doubled in size, punch down to remove some of the air, and pinch off what you need for rolls. We make about 5 tea rings per batch for a decent sized roll. So, divide the batch into five lumps of dough.
Now to make the actual tea ring you first take one of the dough lumps and place it on a greased surface to roll out with a rolling pin in the shape of a square or rectangle. Roll lightly but firmly so it doesn't make the dough too hard or sticky. Leaving an inch or so at the top of the square, spread melted butter over the entire dough surface. Next, take a half cup or so of brown sugar and distribute that evenly across the buttered area. Then sprinkle cinnamon generously over the brown sugar. Now carefully roll up the bottom of the dough to the top, unbuttered part so that it can be pinched to the dough roll to seal it. Now you should have a long roll of dough to place on a greased pan with the seam of the roll down. Make it into a circle or ring. Finally, with a pair of clean scissors, cut a half inch slit in the circle from the outer to inner edge, leaving some space in the center. Turn the cut parts to make a fan in a circle on the pan--make sure pans have edges to catch run-off. Let rise until it doubles again. Sometimes you can add melted butter lightly to the top for browning purposes--we don't always do this.
In a heated oven at 350°F, put in the pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Take out and immediately take out of pan. We transfer to a paper plate to give to others, and then quickly frost and sprinkle with decorative sugars or candy shakers. For frosting, use a bag of powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons of milk, two teaspoons of vanilla, a couple tablespoons of melted butter, and a few tablespoons of softened cream cheese. Mix together well until smooth. May need to add a bit more milk or butter to taste and to make creamy.
After the tea ring cools, place in Ziploc bag, and give to someone you care about!
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