Cranberry Knots Recipes

CRANBERRY-BRIE KNOTS

Steps:

• Brush the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the pizza dough on top. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature until just about doubled in size, 1 hour.
• Cut off the rind from the sides of the Brie wheel, then cut the Brie into 18 equal-sized cubes. Set aside.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into an 18-by-4-inch-rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into eighteen 1-inch-wide strips.
• Shape each strip into a 10-inch-long rope and tie into a knot, tucking the two ends of the rope underneath it. Divide the knots between two baking sheets and let rest until slightly puffed, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Cut a small slit in the top of each knot with a sharp paring knife and use your fingers to create a small well. Spoon a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cranberry sauce into each well and top with 1 piece of Brie. Reserve the remaining cranberry sauce for serving.
• Brush the tops of the knots with 4 tablespoons of the butter. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake until the cheese is melted, and the dough is fully cooked and turning light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, stir together the remaining cranberry sauce and 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Serve with the knots for dipping.

SWEET POTATO CRANBERRY KNOTS

Steps:

• Mix 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, cinnamon and yeast in large bowl. Add 1/4 cup butter and the water. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Add sweet potatoes. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in cranberries and enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and springy. Place dough in large bowl greased with shortening, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)
• Heat oven to 375°. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into 8-inch rope; tie into knot. Place on cookie sheet.
• Brush knots with melted butter. Cover and let rise in warm place about 40 minutes or until double. Bake 14 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

LEMON KNOTS

Steps:

• For the lemon knots: Combine the flour, granulated sugar and baking powder together in a bowl. Add the shortening and work it into the flour.
• Add the milk, extract, eggs and cinnamon oil in a separate bowl. Mix well. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and work with your hands until combined. The dough will be sticky to the touch.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Dust your hands with flour and roll a 5-inch rope-like log out of the dough. Make the dough log into a knot. Place the dough knot onto a cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake until firm to the touch, about 6 minutes.
• For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and milk and use to glaze the lemon knots.

BRAIDED CINNAMON ROLL KNOTS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• Combine the milk and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let cool until the milk mixture is about 120 degrees F. Beat in the eggs.
• Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Grease a medium bowl with butter and add the ball of dough, flipping to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons butter until well combined and spreadable; set aside.
• Generously flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle with one of the shorter ends closest to you. Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough all the way to the edges. Fold the edge closest to you up and over a third of the way, then fold the top edge down to cover it like a letter. Pinch the edges closed to seal in the filling. Flip it over the dough so the seam is on the bottom and roll again into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Working one at a time and starting 1/2 inch in from one end, cut each strip of dough lengthwise into 3 smaller strips so they remained attached at the top. Braid the three strips together, lightly pinch the ends and gently roll the braid into a spiral. Tuck the rolled dough into a nonstick muffin tin with the uncut end at the bottom of the cup and the braided side up. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cinnamon rolls, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack.
• Whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth and spread on the rolls while they are still warm.

CRANBERRY, RAISIN & PECAN KNOT

Steps:

• Mix the flour, yeast and salt and 1½ tsp of the caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and rub it into the flour. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.
• Put the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.
• Knock back the dough by gently kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough's lightness. Shape into a ball, then cover and leave for 10 mins.
• Shape by flattening the dough into a rectangle, about 28 x 18cm, scatter on the cranberries, raisins and chopped pecans, then roll up tightly from one of the short ends. Roll into a 52cm-long sausage. Tie into a simple knot and lay on a baking parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and leave for 40-45 mins, or until doubled in size.
• Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for 20 mins or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the loaf if should be firm and sound hollow.
• Finish by making a spiced sugar glaze with the remaining caster sugar, cinnamon and 1 tsp hot water. Brush over bread while it is still warm.