The original from 1962.
Followed by a readable version. If you want the brand names, click on the pictures. You might need to know it’s Red Star Yeast.
Swedish Tea Log 1962 Pillsbury Bake off junior winner
Ardythe Dey of Fort Calhoun Nebraska.
What does this 16-year old plan to buy with her prize money? Black Angus cattle!
Buttery-rich, no-knead dough wraps around a butter-pecan filling.
Makes 3 coffee cakes (I triple this for Christmas breakfast. Leftovers are perfect for Boxing Day breakfast.)
Soften 1 packet of yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.
Sift Together into mixing bowl:
- 2 1/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cut in until particles are fine:
- 1/2 cup butter
(Ardythe Dey didn’t have a food processor, but it sure makes it quick!)
Add:
- 1/4 cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 unbeaten egg
- ¼ cup currants or chopped raisins and
- yeast mixture
Mix well. Cover; chill 2 hours or overnight.
Cream:
- 1/4 cup butter.
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar.
Stir in
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped.
Divide dough into thirds. Roll out one part on a floured surface to a 12×6-inch rectangle.
Spread with one-third of the filling.
Roll up starting with the 12-inch side; seal. Place, crescent shape, on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Make cuts along outside edge 1 inch apart to within 1/2 inch of center. Turn cut pieces on sides. Repeat with remaining dough. (We never did the ‘turn cut pieces part’, so who knows?)
Let Rise in a warm place until light, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350º for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Frost while warm. (I haven’t frosted since the time I made this at a friend’s house one Christmas and used cornstarch instead of powdered sugar. Fine without it.)
Vanilla Glaze
Brown 2 tablespoons butter. Add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons evaporated milk until of spreading consistency.
And in case you long to enter the Bake-Off yourself:
James Beard AND Art Linkletter will be there.
MLE
Yarnerinas 
LOL! What a fun piece of history.
How great! My husband did his student teaching in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska in the 80s, so that made your post even more fun for me.
Have you seen Habetrot’s post this week? It’s about Eleanor Roosevelt. I thought you might like it since you have Eleanor in your header.
What does this 16-year old plan to buy with her prize money? Black Angus cattle!
We could use a few more who spend their prize money on cows.
Thanks for the recipe!
yum.Even yummer having seen the original recipe.I think I wanted the glasses that show the Florida prize trip.
Thank you. I’m not going to wait until Christmas though. It’s looking like a weekend treat.
I love it! Old recipes are the best, aren’t they? And James Beard in the 60s. Imagine…
What a hoot! It sounds sinfully good!
Sounds absolutely fabulous. I really have to try this, thank you for posting it!
I just wanted to tell you I made this for my co-workers a couple days ago, and they devoured them! I left the raisins out, because I work with a couple of raisin-haters, and I also changed the filling a bit – I combined just the brown sugar and butter, and smeared that on the dough, then sprinkled two rolls with nuts and the third with chocolate chips. It was all wonderful -thanks for sharing!
Who doesn’t spend their prize money on a cow or two? That’s a great piece of times gone by.
James Beard and Art Linkletter? Too cool! What a pairing.
WOW! I have this treasured original recipe from 1962 in my cookbook and I have made the tea log for my family Christmas breakfast every year since then! When I cut out the recipe, I was a young stay-at-home mother and now am a Black Angus cattle producer and a great-grandmother! I surely would like to contact Ardythe Dey.