Last year, I was living in Taiwan and it was such a culture shock for me when the holidays came around. Christmas and Thanksgiving were definitely not as popular of a celebration there and I worked on both days! So this year I’m really treasuring my time with family and friends over the holiday season. To start off, I decided to introduce to the cinnamon tea ring.
Why is it called friendship bread?
Well, it’s because all the buns are connected into a circle and each person can pull off their piece.
My friends love my cinnamon buns so this was the perfect way to re-invent the wheel…by making it literally wheel shaped I guess.
If cinnamon rolls and pull-apart bread had a baby, this would be it. It’s ooey-gooey on the inside with the fun of being able to pull it apart.
Cinnamon tea ring recipe
Cinnamon tea ring (friendship bread)
Recipe Type: yeast bread
Serves: 1 ring with 10 rolls
A fun cinnamon tea ring that’s perfect for any occasion. It’s a bread of friendship and deliciousness so it’s best enjoyed at a party. But of course if you rather eat it all yourself, I wouldn’t blame you.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk of choice
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 cups bread flour (all purpose works as well)
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast and brown sugar. Mix everything together and let it rest for 8 minutes until it begins to foam. Add in the oil.
Sift in the salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and bread flour. Add in the yeast mixture and stir until a dough forms.
Knead the dough for 15 – 20 minutes on a lightly floured surface until elastic. Return the dough into the large bowl and cover it with a tea towel. Place the dough in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in size.
When the dough is ready, punch it down on a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle and spread the melted coconut oil/butter on top. Then sprinkle on the cinnamon and brown sugar on top and roll it up into a log.
Connect the two ends of the log together and pinch to connect them. Slice the ring along the outside edges into 1″ thick slices for the rolls. Leave 1/2″ of space between the slice and the inside of the ring or they will disconnect. Lay the rolls down so that they form a circle. Let the rolls rise for 1 hour.
When the buns have risen, bake them in the oven at 350F for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown.
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Hey Cynthia, the bread looks great for a party and I also love cinnamon.