Maple Twists and a PARRRTAY!

 I am so excited for today, so let's get this PARRRTAY started!!

I was invited by Ashton of Something Swanky to be a part of a blog hop.  You see all of us have come so far from our very first posts, in photography, in writing, and in being a much better blogger.

So because of this, Ashton invited a few of us re-do an old post and make it way better.

I decided on re-doing this classic.  This is one of my most requested recipes so it was definitely in need of a much more noteworthy photograph.  I love this maplely bread because it makes a simple recipe look pretty cool just by how you put it together, which is not hard at all.  And if you are a lover of maple this is the treat for you.  Totally delicious and full of sugary goodness.

Maple Twists

(click here for printable version)

Dough:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbsp yeast
1 egg, beaten
4-5 cup flour

Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup butter, softened

Glaze:
1/2 tsp maple extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1-2 tbsp milk

1.  Heat milk, butter, salt, water, sugar and maple extract until warm.  Pour in the bowl of your stand mixer that is fitted with a dough attachment.  Add yeast and eggs.  Let sit until frothy (1-2 minutes), then add enough flour to make a soft dough.  In my mixer, this is when the dough pulls away from the side.  Cover and let raise until double in size.

2.  Preheat oven 375°F.  Mix sugar, cinnamon, and maple extract in small bowl.  Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts.  Roll each part into about a 12 inch circle.  Place first circle on greased baking sheet (I find that my round pizza stone works the best), spread with 1/3 softened butter and sprinkle with a 1/3 of sugar mixture.  Place second circle on top of the first and repeat with butter and filling.  Place the third circle on top of the other two and spread with remaining butter and filling.

3.  Place a 2-inch glass, top down, in the center of your dough circle and press down lightly, making ONLY an indentation.  Cut (I used my pizza cutter) 16 equal wedges from indentation to outer edge.  Should look like this:

4.  Each piece should still be attached to inner circle.  Pick up each wedge and twist five times, creating the look of a poinsettia.  Let rise 30-45 more minutes. Bake 18-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes.

5.  While twists are cooling, combine glaze ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle over warm maple twists and serve.  Enjoy!

Please be sure to visit the other re-dos and see what fabulous things they have made.