Sour Cream Twists: A Family Recipe
- Carbohydrate 47.251089434502 g
- Cholesterol 145.268044785458 mg
- Fat 24.4454781474864 g
- Fiber 1.68915628195252 g
- Protein 9.76554813324608 g
- Saturated Fat 12.4131430144808 g
- Serving Size 1 1 dozen. (123g)
- Sodium 834.876813516447 mg
- Sugar 45.5619331525495 g
- Trans Fat 1.86606508897164 g
- Calories 455 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 5 minutes. In a bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in butter an shortening until particles are the size of small peas. Stir in eggs, sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the yeast mixture. Mix thoroughly (dough will be stiff and resemble pie pastry).
- Combine white sugar and remaining vanilla; lightly sprinkle 1/2 cup over a pastry cloth. Roll out half of the dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of the sugar mixture plus some red or green colored sugar. Fold rectangle into thirds (fold one end of dough over center and fold other end over to make three layers).
- Give dough a quarter turn and repeat rolling, sugaring, and folding two more times. Roll out into a 16-in. x 9-in. rectangle. Cut into 3-in. x 1-in. strips. Twist each strip two or three times. Place on chilled ungreased baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, sugar mixture and colored sugar.
- Bake at 375degrees for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove cookies to wire racks.
Bakers frequently err by melting butter before incorporating it into cold-fat doughs, which destroys the solid fat pockets necessary for flaky layers. Maintaining cold butter and shortening at the size of small peas ensures that steam creates distinct pockets during baking. When water in the solid fat turns to steam inside the 375-degree oven, it forces the layers apart, yielding a crisp exterior and a tender crumb.
Acidic dairy products like sour cream introduce moisture while simultaneously tenderizing gluten strands through lactic acid activity. This prevents the flour and salt mixture from becoming overly chewy. Activating the active dry yeast in water measuring 110 to 115 degrees ensures the microorganisms wake without dying from excessive heat. Rolling, sugaring, and folding the dough multiple times builds internal lamination similar to puff pastry, distributing sugar crystals throughout the interior rather than just on the exterior surface.
Scaling quantities upward requires cautious handling because larger batches of stiff dough demand extra physical effort during the rolling and folding phases. Working with smaller portions prevents the fats from warming up from ambient kitchen heat or hand temperature. Transferring the baked strips immediately to wire racks halts residual bottom browning and preserves the light golden exterior.
