Sour Cream Twists

By polledl

The Swedish side of Grandma's family made something similar to Sour Cream Twists, but they were flavored with cardamom, which flavors so many Swedish baked goods (and tastes so good with coffee). It has a pungent aroma and a warm, spicy-sweet flavor. Grandma added about 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom along with the vanilla extract.

Ingredients

• 2 envelopes dry yeast
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water in a small bowl.
2 Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in yeast mixture, sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract. Chill, covered, for 2 hours.
3 Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 × 10-inch rectangle on a work surface. Sprinkle both sides of each rectangle with one-eighth of the granulated sugar. Fold each rectangle into a 10 × 4-inch rectangle.
4 Repeat the process (rolling the dough, sprinkling with sugar and folding in thirds) three times, using remaining sugar.
5 Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease baking sheets.
6 Cut each rectangle into 12 (4-inch-long) strips. Shape into twists. Arrange on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.