Schnecken

Whenever I visit New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, I have to stop by William Greenberg Desserts on the Upper East Side, a renowned bakery that sells everything from babka to black and white cookies. But the thing I can't resist when I enter the shop are the schnecken, those sticky, irresistibly buttery, brioche rolls laden with cinnamon, pecans and raisins. I am in rapture with a copycat recipe I found from Lion's Bread website that mimics William Greenberg's schnecken perfectly.  The photo above are the ones I made, and the photo below is from the bakery's website. They are really identical in taste and appearance.

They do require quite a few steps and a good amount of time, but much of that is just giving the dough time to proof. These freeze beautifully and are great to have on hand for Christmas morning while everyone is opening gifts, so get a head start and make these soon. Start out by mixing the dough the night before and putting it in the refrigerator. The next day, mix the softened butter and brown sugar and place into cupcake tins.

Add the pecans (add raisins if you like, but there are raisins inside the dough so I didn't add any on the outside.)

Roll out the dough, spread with more of the butter and sugar mixture, then a layer of raisins.

Slice into twelve pieces and lay on top of the sugar/butter mixture in the cupcake tins.

Let them rise about 1/2 hour or so, then bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove and flip onto a platter. These are delicious at any temperature, but fresh from the oven, they're addictive.

Schnecken

recipe from The Lion's Bread

THE DOUGH

• 12 tablespoons salted butter, 170g at room temperature
• ½ cup sugar, 60g
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sour cream, 120g
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast, 4g
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 360g
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

THE GLAZE AND FILLING

• 16 tablespoons salted butter, 2 sticks, 226g
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, 426g loosely packed, divided
• 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins

Instructions

1. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle and cream at low speed until smooth. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, then the sour cream, yeast, vinegar, and vanilla, mixing at medium speed for about 3 minutes, until well incorporated.

2. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and add the flour gradually, mixing at a low speed for about 10 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Remove the dough, dust the top with flour, and press it into a rectangle about 2 inches thick. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, place the 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) of room temperature butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the brown sugar and mix until smooth. Spoon the creamed butter-sugar mixture into the bottoms of a standard 12 well muffins tin. Use a pastry brush to coat the inside of the cups completely with the butter mixture.

4. Scatter the pecans generously over the butter-sugar mixture in the muffin cups. Set aside.

5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Flour your work surface generously and roll it out an into an 8-by-13-inch rectangle about ¼" thick.

   Sprinkle the dough with the 1 cups brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 cup raisins. Your lightly floured hands to gently press the raisins and sugar down into the dough. With the long side of the rectangle facing you, roll the dough up tightly into a log.

6. Trim the ends of the rolls slightly and cut the log into 12 slices, about 1 inch thick for the regular schnecken. Place each piece into the prepared muffin cups, cut side down, so that the swirls are face up. Press them down gently into the tins. Cover the baking pan loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and Let the schnecken rise for about 30 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Place the muffin tin on top of a rimmed cookie sheet, to prevent any buttery spills in your oven. Bake the schnecken on the middle rack until golden, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and invert onto a clean baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow to the schnecken to cool mostly, but they are amazing when enjoyed fresh from the oven!

8. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.