As many of you may know, I was a finalist in the 46th Pillsbury Bake-off last year. It was such a wonderful experience and I have become fascinated with the history of the contest. It started in 1949 and as of now, there have been exactly 52 grand prize winning recipes.

So I got a crazy idea! Why not make all 52 Grand Prize winning recipes this year and blog about the process. That’s 1 recipe per week which I think is totally doable. So here goes…

The first grand prize winning recipe in the 1949 Pillsbury Bake-Off (then called Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest) was:

No-Knead Water-Rising Twists by Theodora Smafield on Pillsbury.com

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First4ingredients

Here are the first 4 ingredients which you add to a bowl and mix. See photo below.

milkbuttersmall

Set flour aside. In small saucepan, place butter, milk and heat to about 130 degrees.

eggs

Add the milk/butter mixture along with eggs and vanilla to the flour mixture.

mixer

Blend on low until moistened, then on medium for 2 minutes.

mixingdoughsmall

Add the remaining flour and stir by hand. Then you let it rise. Above photo shows the dough after it has risen.

nutsdough

Then you take 1/4 cup pieces of dough and roll in a mixture of sugar, cinnamon and nuts.

prerisentwists

Pull and twist each piece of dough to about 8 inches long. Then you let them rise again for a bit. I didn’t see a big difference in size after it had risen again. Then bake.

Freshly baked twists. Aren’t they pretty! Let cool and enjoy.

plated

5 from 1 review

No-Knead Water-Rising Twists

Lise Sullivan Ode
These simple twists take no time at all. The cinnamon and nuts give a delightful flavor and crunch.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 twists
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup margarine or butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, salt and yeast; blend well.
  • In small saucepan, heat milk and margarine until very warm (120 to 130°F.). Add warm liquid, vanilla and eggs to flour mixture; blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in remaining 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups flour to form a soft dough. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 to 85°F.) until light and doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes. (Dough will be sticky.)
  • Grease 2 large cookie sheets. In small bowl, combine nuts, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; blend well. Drop about 1/4 cup dough into nut mixture; thoroughly coat. Stretch dough to about 8 inches in length; twist into desired shape. Place on greased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover, let rise in warm place, about 15 minutes.
  • Heat oven to 375°F.. Uncover dough. Bake 8 to 16 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe courtesy of Pillsbury®
Calories: 302kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 281mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 308IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 2mg

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