My Mom's Christmas Cheese Ring

My mom has made this pastry cheese ring for Christmas morning since I was in about 2nd grade. She got the recipe from her friend, Ann Flemming. It has always been a favorite of ours.

CHEESE RING RECIPE

1/2 C milk
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp. salt
l cube butter or margarine
1/2 C warm water
2 pkgs. yeast
2 eggs beaten
4 1/2 to 5 C flour

Scald milk, stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm. Measure warm water into large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Stir in lukewarm milk mixture, beaten eggs and l C. flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic about 8 min.
(I use my Kitchen Aid machine.) Place in greased bowl turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in warm place, free from draft, until double in bulk (about 1 hour.) (I put mine in my oven that I have slightly heated and turned back off.) Punch down and let rise again until almost doubled, about 30 min. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and divide for rings.

Cheese Filling

2 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese
1/2 C. sugar
6 T. flour
2 egg yolks
1 tsp grated lemon peel (optional)
2 T. lemon juice

While dough is rising, soften cream cheese. Add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, egg yolk, lemon peel and lemon juice. Roll dough into three equal rectangles. Spread filling over 2/3 of surface.

Overlap to center making a roll. Join ends in a circle. Make cuts from outside edge 2/3 of the way to the center edge. Turn each section over on its side.

Bake in 350 degree oven until nicely browned (about 25 minutes.) Then cool and glaze with powdered sugar and water mixture.

My mom said: "It is so delicious! The family just loves this. I've been making it for years."