Melt butter, add milk, and heat to finger warmth.
Add yeast and allow to proof. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead until
you have a smooth elastic dough. Let rise 30 minutes. Knead and prepare as
directed below.
Braided Coffee Bread
Divide the dough in 4 parts. Knead each part
and divide each into 3 parts. Roll each of those 3 parts into long ropes and
braid them. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake 400°F,
15-20 minutes.
Plain Coffee Buns
Divide the dough into 4 parts. Knead each
part and roll into a long rope. Cut each rope into 12 pieces and roll them into
balls. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake 450 degrees, 5-10 minutes.
Filled Coffee Buns, Coffee Bread
"Log", or Crown
Fillings
2-4 tablespoons butter or margarine
4-5 tablespoons sugar
ground cardamom, cinnamon, chopped almonds, raisins, or thinly rolled almond
paste
Divide the dough in 2 parts. Roll out each piece
into a large rectangle. Spread butter or margarine over the dough and sprinkle
with sugar and other fillings as desired. Roll up into a skinny log.
"Log": Cut each log into 2 pieces and
place on a baking sheet. Make cuts in the top with a knife. Let rise 30 minutes.
Bake 400°F,
15-20 minutes.
Crown: Take the log and make it into a circle on
the baking sheet. Make cuts in the top with a knife or clip the dough almost all
the way through with a scissors to form petal-like shapes, alternate the petals
left, center, and right. Let rise 30 minutes. Bake 400 degrees, 15-20 minutes.
Filled Coffee Buns: Cut each log into 24 pieces.
Place them in paper cupcake liners or on a greased baking sheet. Let rise 30
minutes. Bake 450°F,
5-10 minutes.
Before baking, you can brush the dough with
beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar or chopped almonds. Cool the bread under a
cloth.
