Sunday, February 12, 2012

Cinnamon Love Knots



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...In the late Middle ages it was customary for couples to wear love knots on St. Valentine's Day. These were pins knotted to form the symbol for infinity, , suggesting a love so strong that it was eternal and could not end. The knots were made of gold, a metal chosen because it never tarnished or lost its perfection, and they were given to one's sweetheart on St. Valentine's Day. It was a lovely custom that, sadly, is now practiced only in the breach, but just thinking of it brought this recipe to mind. I thought it would a lovely treat for those of you who would like to celebrate the day with something other that chocolate or lemon. This is a recipe for edible love knots, a sweet pretzel-like twist guaranteed to make your breakfast or brunch an occasion to remember. I've seen the recipe in many places, but the two sources I think should be credited with it are Taste of Home Magazine and the website The Baking Pan. I loved working with this dough. It is velvety and light and quite easy to knead. The rolls take some time to form but they are so attractive that I chalked it up to time well-spent. I did make a few changes to the recipe that I want to share with you. The ingredient list calls for 3/4 cup of butter to coat the ropes prior to knotting. I cut that amount significantly and used just 1/4 cup to coat mine. I also used a mix of granulated and light brown sugar to add more flavor to the coating. It is important not to overbake these, so keep an eye on them and don't exceed the time suggested in the recipe. If they bake too long they will lose their pillowy softness. I know those of you who try these will be pleased and I know the folks at your table will be delighted. Here's the recipe.

Cinnamon Love Knots...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home and The Baking Pan

Ingredients:
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
Cinnamon Sugar Topping
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough.
2) Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours.
3) Punch dough down; divide into three portions. Cover two portions with plastic wrap. Shape one portion into 12 balls. Roll each ball into an 8-in. rope. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip rope into melted butter, then coat with cinnamon-sugar. Tie into a knot. Tuck and pinch ends under and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
4) Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees F. When ready to proceed, for bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. Yield: 3 dozen.








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42 comments :

Alessandra said...

I didn't know about the love knots, it sounds so sweet. And I like the recipe too!
Have a great Sunday

Ciao
Alessandra

Unknown said...

Dear Mary these noodle are wonderful may i make a question ? i do i find you also on google +? blessing simmy I'm there

Red Nomad OZ said...

What do you mean, 'instead of chocolate'?? 'As well as' sounds MUCH better!!

Unknown said...

sirry knots

Eileen said...

They are beautiful! And they look delicious. What a lovely idea for something different.

Katarina said...

These look very lovely and I bet they taste really good!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I count the time you spent forming them well spent too! They are beautiful!

Lenia said...

They are so sweet and I bet yummy!Blessings,dear!

SImple and Serene Living said...

I loved waking up and seeing these on a cold Sunday morning. Now if they were just on my breakfast table.
Laura

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I love the idea of edible love knots! The stories that we can attach to food are intriguing. If you say the dough is "easy to work with" I believe you!

Martha said...

we had something similar to these last evening although I didn't knot them, just twisted them. the children loved them!

The Harried Cook said...

How sweet! The knots look really good... and considering how much I love cinnamon, I bet I could eat quite a few of these myself! :) Thanks for sharing!

Maris (in Good Taste) said...

These look so perfect!

Sue/the view from great island said...

Great recipe, I have a weakness for sweet little rolls and these look like they'd make a great breakfast.

Margaret Murphy Tripp said...

Your rolls are absolutely beautiful. They look so delicious and I wish I had one right now! I'm pinning this post on Pinterest! xo

chacha said...

I love the fact that each of your posts have a wonderful bit of history or background. The infinity knot story was new to me. Beautiful photo, lovely story and a scrumptious recipe! Blessings.

Tanna said...

Oh, mercy me!! These look so very good! I like the idea of love knots for Valentine's Day, too! Thank you for adding a little learning and and bunch of delicious to my day. blessings ~ tanna

Valerie Gamine said...

How lovely! Not only do they look delicious, they're beautiful to look at too.(I've always loved the Infinity symbol.)

Kim said...

As a fan of cinnamon buns, these knots are really appealing to me. Love this recipe.

lena said...

i actually do not know that these knots are associated with valentine's day, such lovely and meaningful treats!

Rita said...

I can almost taste these beauties; of course I pinned them and anxious to try them; Thank you Mary.
Rita

Kavi said...

They're just so perfect! :) such an interesting idea!

Vicki Bensinger said...

These are absolutely beautiful and how fitting for Valentine's Day - a love nut.

I love cinnamon pretzels and if these taste anything close I know I'll be a fan of this recipe for life.

I love that you mixed the granulated sugar with brown sugar. I'm sure that totally takes the flavor of these over the top. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I look forward to trying them.

Happy Valentine's Day a couple days early!

Buttercup said...

Yummy! Just pinned this to Pinterest. Happy Valentine's Day!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

A lovely story for Valentines Day Mary.

dr.antony said...

Hi,Mary
After so long.I was held up at work and missed some of your posts.
Lovely knots!

Gloria Baker said...

These look amazing dear Mary!! gloria

Anna's kitchen table said...

Mary these look absolutely divine!

Unknown said...

All gone is what I would call them :)

Joanne said...

what a cute symbol and a delicious cookie!

Claudia said...

I remember reading about the love knots - wouldn't it be nice to see more love knots and less discord? These "buns" celebrate coming together in the most delicious way.

JG said...

These look so cute! And delicious!
~Judy

France@beyondthepeel said...

What a great story about the love knots. I wonder where some of these traditions go. I know my hubby would love me to make these for him. I love him enough that I think I will.

Melinda said...

Those look yummy!
I'll take one now Thank You.

Melinda

Anna said...

Oh goodness me I love the sound ( and look ! ) of these!!

mia xara said...

The knots sound delicious,Mary,especially wrapped in cinnamon and sugar..YUM!!!Have a great week!

Victor said...

These are so lovely, definitely want to try some...

Alessandra from A Sparkly Life for Me said...

Thank you so much for posting this! I tried them out yesterday and they were DELICIOUS! I made a few revisions to cut down the time/sugar.

I shared my results and version here if you want to take a looksy:
http://sparklysharpandfabulous.blogspot.com/2012/02/sweet-cinnamon-love-knots-hearts.html

Have you tried making them in heart shapes? SUPER CUTE!
Thanks again for your post!!

Erika Beth, the Messy Chef said...

Aw! These are great and I love hearing about the knots in Ireland. Nice to know not everyone went pink or red for VDay. :)

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Anything that sounds like bread swathed in butter and cinnamon sounds fantastic to me. I'll be pinning this.

Lynne Daley said...

Beautiful cinnamon love knots! I love yeast bread and the cinnamon sugar sounds so delicious. You did a great job forming the knots!

Unknown said...

What a great idea! I have done this same thing only I made them savory. My kids would flip over these. I'll go this route next time! Happy Valentines Day!

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