How to Make a Swedish Tea Ring

Last Updated: March 22, 2020

While a Swedish Tea Ring may look fancy, and a bit difficult, it is not. A Swedish Tea Ring uses similar ingredients used to bake cinnamon rolls except it is baked as a circular coffee cake.

Ingredients

Yeast Dough

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 egg
1/4 cup shortening, soft
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups flour
1 cup lukewarm milk

Filling

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Powdered Sugar Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons warm water, milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Yeast Dough

1
Add the sugar, salt and yeast to a mixing bowl.
2
Add the egg and shortening to the yeast mixture.
3
Add 3 1/2 cups flour and mix.
4
Slowly add the milk and mix until a soft dough forms. You may need to add more milk or flour until you get the right dough consistency. The dough should be form into a soft ball and start to look sticky.
5
Knead the dough until smooth and satiny.
6
Let rise until double.
7
Turn out dough and roll out into a 9 x 18-inch oblong.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Filling

1
Spread the soft butter over the dough.
2
Add the sugar, cinnamon and raisins to a small mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
3
Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar raisin mixture over the buttered dough.
4
Roll up dough starting from the wide side.
5
Pinch dough edges together. Place seam-side down on a large baking pan.
6
Form the dough into a circle and join the edges together. Pinch the ends together to seal.
7
Cut the dough 2/3 of the way through in 1-inch sections. Use a pair of scissors to cut the dough.
8
Let dough rise until double.
9
Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C).
10
Place Swedish Tea Ring dough into the oven.
11
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Powdered Sugar Icing

1
Add the powdered sugar to a small mixing bowl.
2
Add enough warm water, milk or cream to get the right consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but not like frosting for a dessert cake.
3
Add the vanilla to the icing. Mix well.
4
Drizzle the icing with a fork over the warm coffee cake.

Community Q&A

Question

Why does the bottom of my tea ring always gets hard?

Qamar

Top Answerer

Is the temperature of the oven too hot? Double-check to be sure the settings aren't too high, and allow the oven to fully preheat before inserting. You can also cover the bottom of the tea ring with parchment paper or foil to prevent it from hardening when it's baking. Also, be sure to avoid over-mixing the batter. Mixing too much could cause the bottom to harden.