Christmas Tea Ring with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling

For the dough: Mix the water, yeast, salt, eggs, honey, and butter together in a large bowl by hand. Stir in the flour by hand just until incorporated. It will be sticky but should come together in a very soft dough. Set aside in a warm place and let rise for about 2 hours. Chill in the fridge overnight.

For the filling: Mix filling ingredients together until incorporated. The raspberries will break down and that’s perfect.

Assembly Step 1: Split the dough in half and generously flour the outside of each half. Roll or press on a well-floured surface to form a big rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut the dough from the edges to create straight edges.

Assembly Step 2: For each tea ring, spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture onto the dough. Starting at the longer side, roll the dough up gently to form a long log-shaped roll.

Assembly Step 3: Pull the log gently to make it a little longer and thinner. Cut the uneven ends off and transfer to a baking sheet. Form into a circle, seam side down, pinching the cut ends together to secure the circle. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Assembly Step 4: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled dough and cut 1-inch sections around the circle, not all the way through. Fan out each section and push it flat.

Baking: Brush with one whisked egg yolk + 1 teaspoon milk. Bake for 20 minutes or longer until the top is golden brown and the inside is just barely cooked through.

Topping: Whisk the powdered sugar and the milk together. Drizzle over the still-warm tea ring. Sprinkle with almonds, raspberries, or anything else you like. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.