Swedish Tea Rings are often described as a cross between a coffee cake and a bread. This version has a Maine twist, filled with fresh blueberries and iced with cream cheese. It is easy to make and goes great as breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea.
On the Ingredients
Blueberries may be Maine’s famous berry crop, but there’s another excellent reason to love them. They’re often called a superfood because of the nutrients packed in their tiny package. In fact, they’re one of the most nutrient-dense berries. Antioxidants are abundant in blueberries, especially low bush or wild blueberries. Specifically, they’re high in polyphenol antioxidants called flavonoids, which are known to protect against free radicals which cause DNA damage. This means blueberries may help slow aging and reduce the risk of cancer. Blueberries may lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. The antioxidants in blueberries may also affect areas of the brain that are essential for intelligence, helping to maintain brain function and improve memory. The anthocyanins in blueberries may help improve insulin sensitivity. (Read more about the health benefits).
Blueberry Tea Ring Bread
Swedish Tea Rings are often described as a cross between a coffee cake and a bread. This version has a Maine twist, filled with fresh blueberries and iced with cream cheese. It is easy to make and goes great as breakfast, brunch, or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
- Bread
1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar or monk fruit sweetener
1/4 cup butter (soft)
1 egg (room temperature)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
- Filling
3 tbsp butter (melted)
1/4 cup brown sugar or monk fruit sweetener
1 quart fresh blueberries
1/2 orange juiced and zest
1 tbsp potato or cornstarch
- Icing
4 oz cream cheese (soft)
1/2 orange juiced and zest
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup confectioner sugar or powdered Swerve
Directions
- Combine yeast with warm water in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until the yeast has dissolved, then add the milk, egg, butter, and sweetener. Whisk to combine. Add the flour and salt. Whisk until the dough becomes too hard to mix, then use your hands to combine it into a ball. Flour a work surface and knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes). Grease a medium bowl with some vegetable oil and add the dough ball, turning it over so the ball is lightly coated in oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in size (around 1.5 to 2 hours).
- Rinse the blueberries and let them drip dry. When the dough is finished rising, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out the dough into a rectangle roughly 9x15 inches. Combine the blueberries, orange juice, orange zest, and potato or cornstarch.
- Brush the rectangle with the melted butter to the edges. Sprinkle with the sweetener. Spread the blueberries out down the center of the dough, leaving a few inches on the long edge of the rectangle. Carefully roll the dough lengthwise and seal the edge by pinching it. Turn the roll so the seam is under it. Pinch one end closed, then form a ring with the roll, inserting the pinched end into the open end. Use a little more melted butter to glue the ends together.
- Carefully transfer the ring to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use kitchen scissors to cut 2/3 of the way into the ring’s outer edge every inch. Turn the slices slightly on their sides. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 45 minutes. Preheat the liven to 375°F. Bake the ring for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. The blueberry will have seeped a little. Combine the icing ingredients and mix until smooth. Let the ring cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle with the icing. Serve warm.
