Go Back

Spiced Walnut Pecan Knots

My take on Swedish cinnamon rolls
Prep Time: 20 mins
Oven Time: 17 mins
Resting Time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 6 hrs 37 mins
Servings: 16 Knots

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough

  • cup flour
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • tsp active dry yeast - or 1 packet
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter

For the Filling

  • 1 cup chopped nuts: walnuts, pecans, or combination
  • ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter - room temperature/softened

METHOD

Making the Dough

  • Whisk together the Flour, Sugar, Salt, and Yeast.
  • Microwave milk and butter together until butter is melted. The mixture should be 100° - 110°F, or warm to the touch.
  • Pour milk-butter mixture into the dry ingredients, and add Egg.
  • Combine until the dough is soft and pulling away from sides of the bowl. If using a stand mixture start with the paddle attachment and finish with the dough hook. If, as you are kneading, the dough is more sticky than soft add more flour 1 tbsp at a time. Poke the dough, if it bounces back slowly it's ready.
  • Ball up the dough, place it in a lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Rest the dough for 5-8 hours, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.

Spice Filling

  • Combine the Nuts, Spices, Brown Sugar, and Butter to a crumble-like consistency.

Assembly and Baking

  • Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 16 inches.
  • Spread the spice and nut filling evenly over the dough.
  • Fold the dough into thirds horizontally, as you would a letter.
  • Place the folded dough in front of you as a verticle column.
  • Cut about 1-inch strips down the column. Should yield about 16 strips.
  • Take one strip of dough and hold one side in place. Using your dominant hand, roll the dough toward yourself. Let the dough twist into itself. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining strips.
  • Loosely cover the twists with plastic wrap and rise in a warmish place. An oven with the light on should do the trick. The twists should double in size in about an hour.
  • If you did the rise in the oven, remove tray before setting the temperature to 350°F.
  • Once the oven is heated, bake until golden brown - about 17 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.