Summer Peach Cinnamon Roll Twists

Directions

• To the bowl of a stand mixer, add milk and yeast and whisk until the yeast has dissolved. Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved. Add the melted butter and eggs and whisk once again, until smooth. Add the flour and salt and stir together with a silicone spatula until a dough forms. Place the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix at low speed for 5 minutes. If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it completely pulls away from the sides and bottom of the bowl. The dough should be soft and only slightly sticky and should pass the windowpane test. Continue to mix at low speed if needed, until the dough is ready, then remove from stand mixer, move the dough to the side of the bowl, add a few drops of olive oil, roll the dough in the oil to cover it on all sides, then cover the bowl tightly and keep it in a warm place to rise for 2 to 3 hours, until doubled in size.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions and, working with one portion at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough out into a circle about 13-inches in diameter.
• Set one of the dough circles aside and lightly cover it with a clean towel or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place the other dough circle on top of a piece of parchment paper (two layers of parchment if your knife is very sharp) so that the assembled pastry will be easier to move after the cutting and twisting process.
• In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.
• Spread the softened butter evenly over the bottom layer of dough. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter. Arrange the peach slices in an even layer on top of the brown sugar and cinnamon. I like to start in the center and work my way out to the edges in a swirl. Carefully place the top layer of dough over the peaches and even the edges of the two layers of dough as much as possible.

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• I like to place a small cookie cutter in the center of the dough circle to use as a guide to cut around. Using a sharp knife, make 14 evenly-spaced cuts from the center out, being careful not to cut all the way into the middle.
• To twist the dough you will work with two strips of dough at a time. For each set of dough strips, you will twist the dough strip on the right clockwise and the dough strip on the left counterclockwise. I twist each strip two full turns and then bring them together and pinch the ends to keep them from pulling apart. The video down at the bottom is helpful to demonstrate the twisting process. This is how it looks all twisted up:
• Using the parchment paper, carefully lift the pastry and transfer it to a full-size rimmed baking sheet. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap for a quick second rise while the oven preheats.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C/gas 4) and place a rack in the center.
• Bake until golden brown, and an internal thermometer inserted in the center reads 190 degrees F (88 degrees C), about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before frosting.
• While the pastry is baking, make the frosting. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese and butter and beat at medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and mix at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Once combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until completely smooth, about 1 to 2 more minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
  
• Spread the frosting over the pastry once it’s cool to the touch and then dust with confectioners’ sugar. I prefer a light layer of frosting, as seen in the photo below. If you prefer to frost more heavily, you may want to double the cream cheese frosting recipe. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. A quick reheat in the microwave for about 20 seconds works well for this!