German Sour Cream Twists

German Sour Cream Twists (from Kathy Latusick)

3 ½ C flour

1 tsp salt

1 c butter

1 pk yeast (or 1 Tbsp if you buy it in a jar)

¼ c warm water

¾ c sour cream (1/2 of a 1-pint carton)

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 c sugar (do not mix in)

Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl. Cut in butter. Dissolve yeast in water. Stir into flour mixture with sour cream, eggs, vanilla. Mix well by hand. Cover with damp cloth and refrigerate 2 hours (can be overnight).

Roll half of dough on sugared board into an oblong (8x16). Sprinkle with sugar, and fold ends toward center, ends overlapping (into 3rds). Roll again to same size. Repeat a third time. (Do not use flour to keep the rolling pin from sticking. Use sugar.)

Roll to about ¼” thick. Cut into strips, 1x4. Twist ends in opposite direction, stretching dough slightly. Put in shape of horseshoe on ungreased baking sheet, pressing ends to keep shape. Repeat with rest of dough.

Bake at 375 about 15 min, or until delicately browned. Take from baking sheet immediately. Makes about 5 dozen.

A couple of things that I have learned:

I use ½ c. sugar for each batch I roll out (half the dough).

The sugar and butter melt into caramel in the oven. Take the twists from the cookie sheet as quickly as you can, or they will stick and be impossible to get off.

Turn them upside down on a cloth to cool. If they are right side up, they will stick to the cloth.

Your spatula will get sticky on the end. I used three spatulas today, trading them off as the caramel built up.

Wash the cookie sheet and spatula immediately after taking the twists off. If you put more twists on the sheet without washing it, you will burn the caramel to the sheet. I usually balance my cookie sheet in the center of the sink and fill it with water, with the spatula, caramel end down, in the water. After a minute or so, the caramel dissolves and will wash off. Then dry and re-use the cookie sheet for the next batch.

If you have a pale (silvery) cookie sheet, bake the twists for at least 14 minutes. I like them just barely browned. 15 minutes will give you a dryer, crunchier texture. If your cookie sheet is dark, the twists will brown faster. Don’t give them more than about 12 minutes.

When you are finished rolling and cutting the dough, your countertop will be a gooey mess. I have tried lining the counter with Saran wrap, to make clean-up easier, but found that cutting the twists also cut through the plastic. I clean up the gooey mess with just a wet rag.

If I'm baking for family, I triple the recipe. There will be none left over.

Recipe doubled:

7 c. flour

2 tsp salt

2 c butter

2 pkg yeast

½ c. warm water

1 ½ c sour cream (1 pt)

4 eggs

4 tsp vanilla

2 c. sugar

Recipe tripled:

10 ½ c. flour

3 tsp salt

3 c. butter

3 pkg yeast

¾ c warm water

2 ¼ c sour cream (24 oz carton)

6 eggs

6 tsp vanilla

3 c. sugar