Cranberry Pecan Swedish Tea Ring

Mom is still dealing with her cold, so she decided not to make her more-fabulous-than-fabulous cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning.  She's so delirious, drugged out on NyQuil, that she decided I should cook Christmas breakfast.  Not being brave enough to attempt her cinnamon rolls, I decided on this cranberry pecan Swedish tea ring, a recipe that I found in Healthy Cooking.  Having never cooked something that involves yeast and rising, it took more than one attempt to get it made, but I finally succeeded.  It's delicious, so it was worth the effort.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1-1/4 teaspoon salt
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnaon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make this tea ring, start by dissolving a tablespoon of active dry yeast in a cup and a half of warm water (110-115 degrees) in a large mixing bowl.  Then add 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of canola oil, two lightly beaten egg whites, one and a quarter teaspoon of salt, and a cup of flour.  Mix until smooth.  Stir in an additional four and a half to five cups of flour to form a soft dough.

After mixing, turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until it's smooth, or six to eight minutes.  Place the dough into a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top.  Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until doubled, or about an hour.

In a separate mixing bowl, combine 3/4 cup of chopped pecans, 3/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries, 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, and one teaspoon of ground cinnamon and set aside.

After dough has risen, punch it down and roll it into an 18"x12" rectangle.  Brush the dough with butter and sprinkle the nut mixture to within 1/2" of edges.  Roll up the dough jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.  Pinch the seam to seal the filling.

Place the roll seam side down on a 14" pizza pan coated with cooking spray.  Pinch the ends together to form a ring.  With scissors, cut from the outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of the ring at 1" intervals.  Separate the strips slightly and twist to allow the filling to show.  Cover the ring and let the dough rise until doubled, or about 40 minutes.

Bake the ring at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove the ring from the pizza pan and place it on a wire rack.

Prepare the icing by combining a cup of powdered sugar, one to two tablespoons of milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Ice while still hot.