Cinnamon Twist
For nine portions, you will need:
For the base:
- 250g wholemeal flour
- 50g butter, softened
- milk, warmed up, as required
- 40g sugar
- 1 tsp yeast
- 9-12 cardamom pods, freshly ground
- A big chopping board. If you don’t have one, make space on your kitchen counter for rolling out the base.
For the filling:
- 50g butter, softened
- 50g or less any unrefined sugar (or 1 generous tbsp honey)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
Steps
- Prepare the base by kneading all the components together to make a soft dough. Cover and keep aside to rise for 1 hour.
- When the dough is risen, knead it very well again (the longer, the better) and roll into a long rectangle.
- Spread out the softened butter. Mix cinnamon in the sugar and sprinkle it on top.
- Roll it into a log and use a serrated knife to split it in half lengthwise (don’t cut the top end yet!). You will get something like an inverted v. Now, place the arms of the v so that they cross each other, with alternate layers of dough and cinnamon sugar filling exposed. You can now cut the top end of the log. Keep aside to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 160 degrees C.
Notes
- Baking times and temperatures vary with different ovens. This cake should come out soft. Keep an eye on it.
- This is great for picnics. It is also, of course, best eaten fresh, but will still retain character the next day.
- To add some cheer, this can also be made as ‘flowers’ or a bunch of ‘flowers’ arranged in the shape of a heart (see picture below). Great for delighting children and adults! You can use small bowls to cut out the dough. Spread the butter and cinnamon sugar on each and then cut each circle in half. Two or three of these can be arranged to make each flower. Reduce the baking time.
- The same recipe can be used to make cinnamon rolls. For those, you can cut out strips after you place the butter and cinnamon sugar on the rolled dough and roll them individually. Reduce the baking time.
