Estonian Kringle

I have always been intrigued with foods & sweet treats from around the world. I love learning about other cultures and their cuisine. This recipe is one that looks beautiful, tastes amazing, & is easier to make than you might think! 

1 & 3/4 cups flour plus more for dusting

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk, lukewarm

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/8 cup butter, melted

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp sugar

Filling-

1/4 cup butter, softened

4 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Mix the yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, & the lukewarm milk in a bowl and set aside while the yeast activates. In a med-large size bowl add the yolk, melted butter, & the yeast mixture. Add flour & salt. Knead dough about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover & let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. Roll out dough on a flour dusted work surface to about 1cm in the shape of a rectangle. (does not have to be perfect) Spread softened butter over dough and sprinkle all but 1 tbsp of cinnamon sugar mixture over butter. Lengthwise, roll up dough tightly (like you're making cinnamon rolls) Once rolled, using a sharp knife cut in half lengthwise down the center so you have two long pieces. Twist the pieces together, exposing the layers of cinnamon & sugar. Form twist into a circle. Place on greased baking sheet & cover. Let rise about 30 minutes. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Once risen bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temp to 350 & bake another 7-10 minutes. It will be a deep beautiful golden brown. I served mine with a rich  vanilla icing- 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, & enough heavy cream/milk to thin. Whisk together & drizzle over Kringle. Yumm-O!!