Cherry-Orange Twists

I've been drooling over these since I saw them at Culinary in the Desert, so the kids helped me make them on General Conference weekend. (All of Joe's recipes that I've tried have been great.) We forgot to put the glaze on them, but they were still delicious. I will cut the dried cherries next time since they were a little big.

Cherry-Orange Twists

Dough:
2 to 2 1/4 c. flour, divided
2 1/4 t. active dry yeast
1/4 c. milk
3 T. butter
3 T. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 large egg
1/2 t. orange zest
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
Scant 1/2 c. dried cherries

Filling:
1/3 c. sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1/2 T. flour
1/2 t. orange zest

Glaze:
3/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
1/2 t. orange zest
2-5 t. fresh squeezed orange juice

To make the dough
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour and yeast.

In a small saucepan, combine milk, butter, sugar and salt - heat over medium until the mixture reaches 120°. Pour into the flour mixture. Add egg, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest and orange juice into the flour mixture. Use a mixer to beat on low for 30 seconds, increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir in dried cherries and enough of the remaining flour that the mixture will take.

Scoop dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add enough of the remaining flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands - it should be a little tacky. Place dough into a bowl coated with nonstick spray - turn to coat the top. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch the dough down and scoop out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes while you make the filling.

To make the filling
In a small bowl, stir together sugar, butter, flour and orange zest until smooth and creamy.

To assemble and bake
Roll relaxed dough into a 14" by 10" rectangle - scoop and spread the filling to a thin layer lengthwise over half of the dough. Gently fold the plain side over the filled side, lengthwise, and match up the edges as well as you can. Use a pizza wheel or bench scrapper and cut the dough into 14 1" wide strips. Take each strip and twist the ends in opposite directions - set each on a parchment lined baking sheet and be sure to press the ends down. Lightly cover and let rise until almost doubled - roughly 30-60 minutes depending on room temperature.

While they rise, preheat the oven to 375°.

Bake until the twists are golden - about 12-18 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through. Remove from the pan and set the twists on a wire rack.

Glaze:
In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar, orange zest and enough of the juice until you can easily drizzle the mixture. While the twists are still warm, drizzle each with the glaze.