Nutty Cinnamon Twists

Ingredients

• Basic Pizza Dough, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• Orange Glaze, recipe follows
• *Cook's Note: If sweeter dough is desired, when making the basic pizza dough, add an additional 1/4 cup sugar to the flour.

Directions

Lightly grease a large baking sheet and set aside.

Remove the dough from the bowl and punch down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, pecans, and cinnamon.

Roll out the dough to a large rectangle about 16 by 12-inches. Brush the top with the melted butter and sprinkle the bottom half evenly with the nut mixture. Fold the plain half over the nut half and press lightly to seal. Cut the bread crosswise into strips about 1-inch wide and twist each strip 3 times. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake until golden brown and risen, 12 to 15 minutes. Drizzle orange glaze over twists and serve warm.

Basic Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm (110 degrees F) water

1 (1/4-ounce) envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups bleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon oil and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Use as directed.

Orange Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and orange juice until smooth. Set aside until ready to drizzle over twists. Whisk again just before drizzling.