Coffee Ring

 If there's one breakfast roll I remember as a kid, it's this one. It's called a "Coffee Ring" and Mom made it from a recipe in a 1949 Betty Crocker booklet called "New Recipes for Good Eating". The picture on the cover of two young children reaching for homemade donuts was enough to send me into delirious fits of ecstasy.

 We've been talking about this roll for the past week. This time I was in charge but I asked Miss Mary to look over my shoulder for the final stages of preparation. She even took the scissors and made a few cuts, then help nudge the roll into the desired shape.

 Here's the slightly modified recipe:

Coffee Ring
Makes 1 large ring

1 package yeast
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup warm milk
3-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup margarine (one stick)
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Crisco
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
walnuts
Maraschino cherries

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm milk.
Add to 1 cup flour. Beat.
Add melted margarine, eggs and remaining flour and salt. Beat.
Let rise until double in bulk (about an hour) in a warm place.
Punch down. Roll out 1/2" thick on lightly floured cloth, to a rectangle of 9"x18"
Spread on Crisco with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture.
Roll inward from wide edge (as with a jelly roll).
Shape into a circle on a cookie sheet (if not non-stick, rub with Crisco first).
Seal ends together (just press and pinch).
Cut almost through roll with scissors at 1-1/2" intervals (I slightly angle the cut).
Turn slices slightly (one in, next out, etc.).
Let rise til double in bulk
Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes.

To make icing combine sugar, milk and vanilla.
Spread on coffee ring (cool a little first).
Decorate with cherries and nuts

The basic dough before the first rise

A few notes ...
 I use our oven as a place to let the dough rise (both steps). I just turn it on for a few seconds, then turn it off. I suppose the temperature is closer to 100° and that works fine. No hotter, though! The first rise takes about an hour; the second rise usually takes less.
 We have home-grown black walnuts and used them instead of the pecans which the original recipe calls for.
 We used to use Crisco instead of margarine but I love Blue Bonnet sticks and they require no measuring.

The dough rolled out to a 9" x 18" rectangle and spread with Crisco 

Filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, the roll is made into a ring

and the ends joined

And here it is placed into the oven ...

The sides have been cut and a cinnamon sauce will ooze out there!

Just out of the oven ... golden brown

and ready for the icing, nuts and cherries.

 Now, time to make some coffee and have a little snack ...