Recipe for a great fair

HAYES CENTER -- Amanda Fornoff earned a purple ribbon during the Hayes County fair Wednesday morning with a family recipe called, "Maple-Nut Danish Coffee Twist."

Amanda, the 12-year-old daughter of Ann and Kevin Fornoff of rural Hayes Center, told Judge Sue Morgan the recipe is a lot of work, and involves many steps and being patient waiting for the dough to rise.

"It smells absolutely wonderful," Morgan said.

"Very nice," Morgan mused, as she cut into the rich, maple-glazed fancy bread. "Very, very nice ... "

Amanda also won a purple ribbon on her "Swedish Nut Cake Bars."

Amanda and other Hayes County 4-H'ers entered their home environment projects, welding projects and small animals Wednesday.

Today's activities include swine, sheep and beef shows and the bike rodeo. Friday's schedule features an antique machinery and car show, kids' pedal tractor pull, livestock sale, barbecue, youth dance and street dance.

Everyone pitches in to clean the fairgrounds Saturday, and a jackpot rodeo is scheduled at 1 p.m., Sunday.

This is the recipe for Amanda's purple-ribbon-winning maple-flavored coffee cake:

MAPLE-NUT DANISH COFFEE TWIST

Amanda Fornoff, Hayes Center

1 cup butter

4 cups flour

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

3 tbsp. sugar

3/4 cup milk, scalded and cooled

2 pkg. dry yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp. sugar

Blend butter and flour together so it is like coarse corn meal. Add eggs, salt and sugar. Scald and cool milk. Add to dough mixture.

Add yeast to the lukewarm water along with two teaspoons of sugar. When the yeast mixture bubbles up, add to dough mixture. Mix all ingredients, cover and then let dough rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to one hour.

Punch down dough and divide in half. Then divide each half into thirds. Using flour and a rolling pin, roll out the first one-third of dough. Place into greased pizza pan. Spread with 3 tbsp. of melted butter. Sprinkle with one-third of filling (see filling recipe below). Roll out the second third of dough and place on top of first layer. Repeat with melted butter and filling. Roll out the last third of dough and place on top of second layer. Again repeat with melted butter and filling.

From the center of the pizza pan, cut pie slices out to the edge of pan, leaving an uncut center circle. Twist each slice two times. Let coffee twist rise for another 30 minutes before baking. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 25 minutes. Drizzle with glaze (below) as the coffee twist cools.

Repeat to make a second coffee twist.

Filling:

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. maple flavoring

1/3 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Maple Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. maple flavoring

1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. milk