I chose to do this during the holidays for it's very "festive" look. It reminds me a lot of traditional Monkey Bread, made from scratch not with Rhodes dough. The dough is light and airy and the flavor is good. I maybe would add a little more salt, but that would be personal taste. I used candied cherries and pineapple because I had it and it needed to be used. I also used slivered almonds. The big mistake I made was I put it in a "tube pan" as called for, which I thought was an angel food cake pan, and the gooey stuff leaked out the bottom. Luckily it didn't start on fire while baking. Guess what I am doing today. Don't do that. Use a solid bottom pan.
Sugar-Plum Ring - Maurine G.
1 pkg. dry yeast (2 tsps.) 2 Beaten Eggs
1/4 C. Warm Water 1/4 C. Melted Butter
1/2 C. Scalded Milk 3/4 C. Sugar
1/3 C. Sugar 1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/3 C. Shortening 1/2 C. Whole Blanched Almonds (I used slivered)
1 tsp. Salt 1/2 C. Candied Whole Cherries (cut in half)
3 3/4 - 4 C. Flour 1/3 C. Dark Karo Syrup
Soften yeast in warm water. Combine scalded milk, 1/3 C. sugar, shortening and salt. Cool. Stir in 1 C. flour, beat well. Add yeast and eggs, mix. Add remaining flour or enough to make a soft dough. Mix thoroughly and place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise until double. Punch down and let rest 10 min. Divide dough into 4 parts. Each part should be cut into 10 pieces and shaped into balls. Dip balls in melted butter, then in the sugar cinnamon blend. Arrange 1/3 of the balls in greased 10" tube pan. Sprinkle with almonds and cherries. Repeat, 2 more layers. Make syrup of left over butter and Karo syrup, then drizzle over the top. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour. Bake in 350o F. oven for 30 min. Cool 5 minutes, invert pan and remove ring. (Mine was on plate right side up)