Swedish Tea Ring (Tangzhong Method)

Name: Swedish Tea Ring (Tangzhong Method)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 190 min
Ingredients: 3½ cups all-purpose flour (divided, see Recipe Notes); 1⅓ cup milk (divided, see Recipe Notes); ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 2 teaspoons instant yeast; ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup walnuts (measured before chopping); ½ cup granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon; 2 teaspoons ground cardamom; 1 tablespoon Instant ClearJel (optional, see Recipe Notes); 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted); 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 - 2 tablespoons half and half (or milk, see Recipe Notes)

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Filled with cinnamon, cardamom, and walnuts, this tasty Swedish Tea Ring is perfect for brunch. Basically a cinnamon roll shaped into a ring, its pretty presentation will impress your family and friends. Plus, the tangzhong method will insure your Swedish Tea Ring stays soft and fresh for days!

The finished drizzled tea ring on a cooling rack.

Jump to:

Why this recipe works
Recipe ingredients
Choose the fillings to suit your tastes
How to make a Swedish Tea Ring
Don't over-flour the dough
Storage and make-ahead instructions
What is the tangzhong method?
Questions asked and answered
More shaped bread recipes to try
Recipe
Comments

Why this recipe works

Cinnamon, cardamom, and walnuts give this Swedish Tea Ring amazing flavor
The pretty presentation is just a version of a cinnamon roll, allowing you to adjust the filling to your liking
Using the tangzhong method allows the tea ring to stay soft and fresh longer

Are you looking for an impressive pastry to serve for brunch? Look no further than this delicious Swedish Tea Ring!

Traditionally served at Christmas, this coffee bread is filled and rolled up (like with cinnamon rolls), then shaped into a ring. The edges are cut and twisted to expose the spiral, and the resulting pastry wreath displays its pretty presentation.

I've adapted this recipe to use the tangzhong method which helps keep the finished bread softer and fresher longer. It's a simple extra step that makes a big difference.

The bread itself isn't overly sweet, letting the cinnamon, cardamom, and walnut filling shine. And a drizzle of vanilla icing just adds to the festivities! You can also alter the filling to suit your taste.

For a less-stressful morning, make the Swedish Tea Ring the day before, then bake it in the morning. That's the menu simplified!

Like a babka (especially a Chocolate Babka or Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread), this shaped bread ring is perfect for Christmas brunch, or for Mother's Day, Father's Day, or whatever day you deem special!

Recipe ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make this Swedish Tea Ring recipe:

Ingredients for the tea ring portioned into glass bowls.

Ingredient Notes

Flour: The best way to insure success is to weigh your flour using a kitchen scale. This makes sure that you won't have too much or too little flour in your dough, which will affect how firm the final tea ring is. If you don't have a kitchen scale available, measure the flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.

Milk: For the dough, you can use any type of milk you want - its purpose is to soften the finished bread (along with the tangzhong slurry).

When making the icing, the more fat in the liquid, the thicker the consistency will be. I use half and half (not pictured above) because it makes a nice thick drizzle that hardens well. If you use a lower fat milk, then you might have to add more powdered sugar to get the right consistency.

Walnuts: Measure the walnuts before chopping them, if possible, so that you don't use too much in the filling.

Cardamom: We're using a combination of cinnamon and cardamom to spice this Swedish Tea Ring. Cardamom has an herbal, citrusy, and sweet flavor, and is widely used in Scandinavian and Indian cuisines.

Instant ClearJel: The Instant ClearJel is used to keep the filling from seeping out during baking (it's especially useful to help thicken the filling in fruit pies). It isn't strictly necessary, just helpful.

See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Choose the fillings to suit your tastes

While this classic Swedish Tea Ring uses cinnamon, cardamom, and walnuts, you can choose your favorite spices and mix-ins to suit your taste. Here are some ideas:

Spices: Instead of the cinnamon and cardamom, use your favorite spice blend. Here are some suggestions (the makeup of the various spice blends can vary, of course):

Pumpkin spice: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice
Chai: Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and black pepper
Speculaas: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom

Mix-ins: Swap or combine the walnuts with pecans, almonds, mini chocolate chips, or dried fruit, just to name a few.

Icing flavorings: While vanilla extract gives the icing a subtle flavor, you can use another extract to complement your filling, like almond or Fiori di Sicilia (an orange-scented vanilla extract). If you do substitute another extract, be sure to reduce the amount by a quarter to a half - they're more potent than vanilla extract.

How to make a Swedish Tea Ring

Step 1: Make the tangzhong slurry

In a small saucepan, whisk together 3 tablespoons (23 grams) of the flour and ½ cup (120 grams) of the milk until smooth.

Cook the slurry over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it has thickened (the whisk will leave a trail), about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk again to make sure the mixture is smooth (photo 1). Allow the slurry to cool for 10 minutes.

Collage of before and after making the tangzhong slurry.

Step 2: Make the dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or in a bread machine or by hand), combine the remaining flour, remaining milk, cooled slurry, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Mix until a rough dough forms (photo 2).

Collage of before and after mixing rthe dough ingredients.

Don't over-flour the dough

This tea ring dough will be quite soft and sticky. If you decide to add a little flour while kneading, do so sparingly - adding too much flour will cause the tea ring to have a tough, dry texture.

Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes (this will give the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to knead), then knead the dough to form a soft, smooth dough.

Place the dough in a large bowl sprayed with canola oil spray (you many need a bowl scraper to get the dough out of the bowl). Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour (photo 3). The oven with just the light turned on works well.

Collage of the dough in a clear bowl before and after the first rise.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and roll it into a 12- x 18-inch rectangle (photo 4). Since the dough is sticky, you can cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep the rolling pin from sticking during rolling.

Collage of before and after rolling out the dough into a rectangle.

Step 3: Make the filling

Chop the walnuts into medium-sized pieces and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and Instant ClearJel (if using), then stir in the melted butter (photo 5).

Collage of mixing the filling ingredients in a glass bowl.

Step 4: Assemble the tea ring

Using a small offset spatula, spread the filling evenly over the dough, then top with the walnuts (photo 6).

Collage of spreading the filling on the rolled out dough and topping it with chopped walnuts.

Line a half sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper.

Starting with one long side, roll the dough into a log. Pinch the edges together to form it into a ring, sealing the edges tightly (photo 7).

Transfer the ring onto the prepared baking pan, reshaping it into a circle.

Collage of rolling up the filled dough into a log and shaping it into a ring.

Using a pair of kitchen shears, make cuts two-thirds of the way into the edge of the ring at 2-inch intervals (you should get 11 cuts total). Twist each cut section onto its side to expose the spiral (photo 8).

Collage of cutting the edges into slices and turning them to expose the spiral.

Step 4: Bake the tea ring

Cover the dough with plastic wrap (sprayed with canola oil spray to keep it from sticking) and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the ring is puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the ring for about 25 minutes, until golden (photo 9). Check after 15 minutes to see if it's browning too quickly - if so, cover the ring with aluminum foil.

Collage of before and after baking the tea ring.

Step 5: Make the icing

Mix together all of the icing ingredients, adding more powdered sugar or liquid in 1 teaspoon increments, if necessary. You want the mixture to have a smooth and thick texture that leaves a trail when drizzled back in to the bowl.

Drizzle the icing over the warm tea ring and allow to dry before serving (photo 10).

Collage of mixing the icing ingredients and the finished drizzled tea ring on a cooling rack.

Storage and make-ahead instructions

Storage instructions: This Swedish Tea Ring can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Make-ahead instructions: You can make and shape the ring, then cover and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. Just make sure to spray the plastic wrap well so it doesn't stick to your risen tea ring in the morning. The next morning, allow the dough to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven, then bake normally.

An unglazed ring can be frozen for up to 4 months, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight bag. Defrost at room temperature before topping with the icing.

What is the tangzhong method?

The tangzhong method is a technique used in yeast bread recipes where a small amount of flour and liquid are cooked into a slurry before adding the remaining dough ingredients. The slurry pre-gelatinizes the flour's starch, and the resulting bread is softer and fluffier with a longer shelf life. This technique was popularized by Yvonne Chen, a Taiwanese cookbook author.

Whole Swedish Tea Ring on a glass cake stand showing spiral detail.

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

How do I adapt a recipe to use the tangzhong method?

If you want to adapt a yeast bread recipe to use this technique (like I did for this Swedish Tea Ring), you'll have to do a little math. Have your kitchen scale handy, since it's easiest to use weight rather than volume measurements in this case.

First, you'll need to calculate the dough's hydration level, the percentage of liquid compared to flour, by weight. A dough's hydration determines how stiff or soft the finished bread will be - the higher the hydration, the softer and loftier the bread.

For the tangzhong method to work, the dough needs to have at least a 75% hydration level. This is because some of the liquid will be used in the pre-cooked slurry (the tangzhong) and not available to assist the dough's texture.

If the dough's hydration is less than 75%, you'll need to increase the amount of liquid in the dough. Multiply the weight of the dough by 0.75 to get the weight of liquid required. The difference between the required weight and the recipe's original weight is how much more liquid you'll need.

For a more detailed look at the conversion process, check out this blog post from King Arthur Baking.

How do I make the tea ring without the tangzhong technique?

If you want to skip making the tangzhong slurry, decrease the milk to 1 cup (240 grams). Combine all the dough ingredients and knead until a soft, smooth dough forms, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.