Swedish Tea Ring

Swedish tea ring recipe

The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh

Prep: 80 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 48 servings
Yield: 2 to 3 loaves

Packed full of dried fruit and covered in a sweet almond glaze, Swedish tea rings are a delicious and different take on the classic cinnamon rolls or Danish. It looks beautiful on a Christmas breakfast table and also makes a delicious all day holiday treat

The yeasty bread requires a dough takes a while to rise, but the finished product is worth the effort. This recipe makes a large amount of dough. You make two to three tea rings, depending on the size that you make them. It's definitely worth it to make a large batch because it is time-consuming and they will go fast.

Ingredients

For the Yeast Dough:

  • 1 quart whole milk

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

  • 8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

For the Filling:

  • 2 to 3 cups (1 to 1 1/2 pounds) unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/4 cup cinnamon

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1 cup pecans, chopped

  • 1 cup golden raisins

  • 1 cup raisins

For the Icing:

  • 4 cups confectioners' sugar

  • 2 tablespoons whole milk

  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Swedish tea ring
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  2. Heat the milk, butter, and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, getting it to a simmer, but not a boil. Remove from the heat and let it cool to lukewarm. This may take 10 minutes or so. You can transfer it to the fridge in another bowl if you need to speed up the process.

    Add milk and honey
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  3. Pour the yeast over the top of the milk mixture and stir to combine.

    Stir
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  4. Add 7 cups of the flour and stir together gently.

    Dough
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  5. Cover with a towel and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour.

    Cover
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  6. Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder and stir to combine.

    Dough
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  7. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 large pieces.

  8. Roll out one piece at a time into a large rectangle. Leave it relatively thick, about 1/2 inch. Make sure the rectangle is long, width-wise. (Think hot dog, not hamburger.)

    Roll out dough
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  9. Pour about 3/4 cup of butter over the dough and sprinkle about half the cinnamon and sugar over the top.

    Sugar
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  10. Top with half of the dried fruits and chopped pecans.

    Add pecans
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  11. Roll the dough away from you in a tight roll until it is completely rolled up. Pinch the seam together and then cut into 2-inch slices.

    Cut dough
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  12. Bring the two ends of the roll together and pinch them together. Gently transfer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

    Dough in a circle
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  13. Cut large slits 3/4 of the way through the dough, make about 10 cuts. Turn each cut section onto its side. 

    Cut with knife
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  14. Brush the top of the ring with melted butter and cover gently with a cloth. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Let it rise for about 30 minutes. While it is rising, preheat the oven to 375 F.

    Cover with towel
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  15.  Bake rolls for about 25 minutes, do not over bake. They should be lightly brown and slightly firm to the touch. Tent with some foil if it is browning too quickly. 

    Bake
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
  16. Whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract. If it is too thick add a little more milk, if it is too thin add a little more confectioners' sugar. 

    Whisk together sugar
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh 
  17. Remove rings from the oven and if you can manage let them cool a bit and then drizzle icing over the top, slice and serve!

    Remove rings from oven
    The Spruce Eats / Anfisa Strizh
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
346 Calories
18g Fat
45g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 48
Amount per serving
Calories 346
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 23%
Saturated Fat 10g 51%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 153mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 45g 16%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 54mg 4%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 119mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)