Name: Golden Cinnamon Twists
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 48 twists
Ingredients: 1 packet active dry yeast; ¾ cup warm water; ½ cup warm milk; ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 ½ teaspoons fine salt; ¼ cup unsalted butter; 1 large egg; 4–4 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ¼ cup unsalted butter; ½ cup brown sugar; 4 teaspoons cinnamon

Active dry yeast foaming in warm water in a vintage cream mixing bowl. — The yeast is ready when the surface is creamy and foamy.

Activate the Yeast

In a large bowl, stir the yeast into ¼ cup warm water. Let stand 5–10 minutes until creamy and foamy across the surface.

Soft yeast dough in a vintage mixing bowl with milk, sugar, flour, butter, egg, and a rolling pin arranged nearby. — A soft dough should rise until visibly doubled.

Make, Knead, and Rise the Dough

Add the remaining ½ cup warm water, warm milk, sugar, salt, softened butter, egg, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl but still feels slightly tacky.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 6–8 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour a tablespoon at a time only if sticking prevents comfortable kneading.

Place dough into a lightly greased bowl, turn once to coat, cover, and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in volume.

Rolled yeast dough brushed with butter and covered evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon on a floured vintage counter. — Spread the cinnamon filling evenly over the rolled dough.

Roll and Fill

Gently deflate dough and roll into a 16x12-inch rectangle. Brush evenly with melted butter. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the dough. Let rest 5–6 minutes.

Cinnamon-filled dough cut into strips and twisted beside a baking sheet in a vintage kitchen. — Twist each strip two or three times before the second rise.

Shape the Twists and Let Them Rise

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut dough lengthwise into 3 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into sixteen 4x1-inch pieces, making 48 pieces total. Twist each piece two or three times and place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Cover loosely and let twists rise about 30 minutes, or until visibly puffy and nearly doubled. During the final 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Golden cinnamon twists baking on two sheet pans in a vintage oven. — Bake until lightly golden on the tops and bottoms.

Bake Until Golden

Bake for 12–15 minutes until lightly golden on the tops and bottoms and no longer doughy in the center. If baking both sheets at once, rotate them front to back and switch racks halfway through.

Transfer the twists to cooling racks and let cool about 5 minutes before serving warm.

Equipment