Spiral cake with caramel

Delicate, fragrant and unusually tasty homemade yeast dough baked goods. Guests will definitely like such a cake, and it turns out to be so effective that it can even decorate a festive table. Many, many thin layers of dough soaked in cinnamon and caramel - a real temptation for those with a sweet tooth!

The Scottish Spiral Pie is based on a yeast dough prepared in a safe way (with fast-acting yeast). A few words about the choice of yeast: it is not necessary to use fast-acting yeast - just dry (also 5-6 grams) or pressed (you need 3 times more, that is, 16-17 grams) are perfect. Such yeast is not immediately mixed with flour, but pre-activated in a warm sweetish liquid for 10-15 minutes. In our case, you can slightly warm up half a glass of milk with a tablespoon of sugar and dissolve the yeast in it.

Do not forget that butter must have a fat content of at least 72%, while I simply do not allow the use of spread and margarine in my recipes. If for some reason it becomes impossible to add natural honey to these baked goods, you can replace it with molasses or invert syrup. True, the cake will be more aromatic with honey. The same applies to spices: use the proposed option, change to your own or do not add at all.

Ingredients

• Yeast dough:
• Wheat flour of the highest grade (500 grams)
• Milk (320 milliliters)
• Butter (50 grams)
• Sugar (1 tablespoon)
• Fast acting yeast (1.5 teaspoons)
• Salt (0.25 teaspoon)
• Filling:
• Butter (50 grams)
• Sunflower oil (3 tablespoons)
• Natural honey (1.5 tablespoons)
• Ground cinnamon (1 tablespoon)
• Ground dry ginger (0.5 teaspoon)
• Nutmeg (0.5 teaspoon)
• Caramel:
• Sugar (180 grams)
• Butter (120 grams)
• Natural honey (4 tablespoons)

Directions

1. To make a Scottish spiral pie, we need the following ingredients: premium wheat flour, milk of any fat content (I used 2.5%), sugar, natural honey, refined vegetable oil, high-quality butter, salt, yeast, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
2. In a dish suitable for kneading dough, sift (preferably twice) wheat flour (you can not use 50 grams for now, if you have new flour or you rarely use it).
3. Since fast-acting yeast is used, we immediately add it to the flour. Put a tablespoon of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt there (preferably finely ground).
4. We mix everything thoroughly so that the dry components are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. We make a depression in the center and pour warm (not hot, but pleasantly warm) milk into it.
5. When you get such flour lumps, you can introduce soft (maybe a little melted) butter. We start kneading the dough with our hands or using a kneader (bread machine). It is clear that the electric assistant will cope faster and easier.
6. You need to knead this yeast dough for a rather long time - at least 10 minutes, and even better longer. The result is a smooth, completely uniform dough. It shouldn't be too soft or sticky. Such yeast dough keeps its shape perfectly, it is firm and elastic, while in no case is it tight or dense! During the kneading process, you may need a little more or a little less flour than I indicated in the ingredients - it depends on its moisture content. We roll the dough into a ball and leave it in a bowl (I always wash the dishes in which the dough ferments - I just don't like dirty ones) for 50-60 minutes in a warm place. Where is the best yeast dough to ferment and what does a warm place mean? There are several options. First of all, in the oven with the light on (it turns out about 28-30 degrees - the ideal temperature for fermenting yeast dough). Then we tighten the bowl with the dough with cling film or cover it with a towel made of natural fabric (linen is best suited) so that the surface does not wind up and does not become covered with a crust. You can also let the dough ferment in the microwave, in which we first bring a glass of water to a boil. The dough will rise with the door closed, and the glass will stand in the same place. Then the bowl does not need to be closed with anything, since the water will evaporate, thereby maintaining the necessary humidity. Just make sure that no one accidentally turns on the microwave, otherwise the dough will disappear and there will be no spiral cake.
7. While the dough is fermenting, let's start making caramel. To do this, put 120 grams of butter in a small saucepan or stewpan, add 180 grams of sugar and 4 tablespoons of honey.
8. We put on medium heat and, constantly stirring, we boil at first until boiling, after which another literally 30 seconds. It is important that the sugar and honey are completely dissolved.
9. Immediately pour the boiling caramel into a prepared baking dish. I have this split ring, which I made with a diameter of 22 centimeters, tightly wrapped with food foil (in 3 layers) and installed on the bottom of a split form (26 centimeters in diameter). I advise you to use a one-piece (so that the caramel does not run away during baking) form with a diameter of 20-24 centimeters - I just didn't have one.
10. This is how the design looks from the side. We leave on the table until we prepare the rest of the products - during this time the caramel will set and thicken (this is normal).
11. After about an hour, yeast dough will work well - it will at least double in volume.
12. We knead it, round it and again with heat for 50-60 minutes.
13. During the re-fermentation of the yeast dough, you can make the filling for the future spiral cake. We put all the necessary components in a bowl: butter and vegetable (not necessarily sunflower, but certainly refined, that is, odorless) oil, natural honey, as well as spices: cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. By the way, if possible, buy whole nutmegs - in crushed form, they are fundamentally different from the already ground seasoning, which is sold in sachets.
14. We warm everything up in a microwave oven (we take it out and stir it every 10 seconds) or in a water bath until the oil and honey are completely dissolved.
15. After that, you can put the fragrant filling in the refrigerator or take it out to the balcony so that it grasps slightly and is not liquid.
16. The second time, the yeast dough will grow even more - exactly 3, or maybe 4 times. By the way, I want to tell you a little about the fermentation time of the yeast dough and the proofing of the blanks. I hope you understand that this is a relative concept. What does it mean? Well, for example, the recipe says that the dough should be allowed to rest for 1 hour. You understand that 1 hour is the time it took for the author of this recipe. +/- 10-15 minutes is a perfectly acceptable deviation, the entire fermentation time of the yeast dough depends on many factors. The freshness (and, as a consequence, the activity) of the yeast, the quality of the flour, the temperature in the room, the amount of dough - all this affects the time of fermentation and proofing. Therefore, never strictly follow these recommendations - you must feel the dough, understand what it needs, and then you will cook it purely intuitively.
17. For convenience, we divide the dough into 3-4 parts, in turn we put each on the work surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a layer, about 5 millimeters thick. It is not sticky, so we do not need an additional amount of flour for burning (if you really want to, add it, but very little). The dough is very pliable and elastic, it can be trimmed with the palm of your hand or stretched with your hands.
18. Then we cut the layer into strips, each about 5 centimeters wide (get yourself a ruler in the kitchen - let it be only for culinary purposes, and not for children).
19. Lubricate the blanks with a fragrant filling so that there is enough for all the dough.
20. We twist the first strip of dough stuffed into a tight roll. Next, we wind the second strip ...
21. As a result, from four strips of dough, I got this kind of workpiece that needs to be cut
22. Then I advise you to apply the next strips of dough in a spiral exclusively in the form, since then it will be almost impossible to accurately transfer the entire workpiece.
23. When all the dough with the filling is in the baking dish, gently flatten the blank with the palm of your hand so that the surface of the future spiral cake is relatively the same height. Let the yeast dough piece rest for 30-35 minutes in a warm place (cover with a towel or cling film). Do not forget to turn on the oven 180 degrees beforehand!
24. During this time, the dough will settle and the piece will grow noticeably - while baking the Scottish spiral pie. There is no need to lubricate the surface.
25. Cooking the cake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees. Remember what I wrote about time? In this case, cooking times can also vary - it all depends on your oven. It is important not to overdry the baked goods and then the finished dough will be juicy, tender and soft. My top of the cake is not very ruddy, since I baked it in the bottom heating mode without convection (I simply do not have it).
26. Immediately after baking, cover the pan with a flat plate or dish.
27. Gently, so as not to burn yourself with hot caramel, turn the pie over onto a dish, remove the baking dish and foil. Delicate, soft and tasty yeast dough that melts in your mouth, aromatic cinnamon layer and incomparable caramel ...
28. If you haven't tried it, make a Scottish Spiral Pie - I guarantee you will love it the first time and forever. Cook for your health and bon appetit, friends!