Issue date:  February, 2012
Courtesy of: Marcelle Bienvenu
Servings:  Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, in all
• 1 cup sugar, in all
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 packages Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, in all
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Powdered Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)
• Colored Sugars (recipe follows)

Instructions: 

In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and packaged yeast. Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm, about 120 to 130°F. Add to dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour.

Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (2 3/4 cups) to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Punch dough down. Move dough to a lightly floured surface and divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 28x4 inches. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle evenly with remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.

Beginning at long end, roll each up tightly as for jellyroll. Pinch seams to form long ropes. Braid, then form into an oval. Pinch ends together to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375°F 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Brush with powdered sugar glaze and sprinkle with colored sugars.

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk

Whisk until smooth.

Colored Sugars: 

Note: Mix food coloring before adding the sugar.

• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops green food coloring in a sealed jar or plastic bag
• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops yellow food coloring
• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops blue and 16 drops red food coloring