Mimi’s Swedish Pastries

Combine the milk and shortening in a saucepan. Put it on the stovetop over medium heat and scald (heat it to just below boiling) and then remove the pan from heat and let it cool to warm.

Meanwhile, combine the soft butter with ½ cup of flour in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk/shortening mixture. Then add the salt and the sugar to the mixture. Add 2 cups of the flour, the beaten egg yolks and the almond extract. Mix well. Mix in the remaining flour. The dough should be sticky.

Roll the dough out onto a floured board into an 8×16 rectangle, or about ½ inch thick. Spread 1/3 of the soft butter/flour mixture on top of the dough rectangle. Fold the rectangle in thirds, like you’re folding a letter for an envelope. Pinch the outside edges to seal in the butter mixture. Carefully roll it out to ½ inch thickness. Spread another 1/3 of the butter mixture on top and repeat process. Repeat the process one more time with the remaining 1/3 of butter mixture.

Wrap the dough in foil and then place in a Ziplock bag. Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form into a long log—about 3 inches by 18 inches. Cut the log into 1-inch slices and roll out each slice into 3 inch “snakes”. Tie each snake into a knot. Place each roll on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Let them rise 2 hours.

Bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

To make the frosting, mix the confectioners’ sugar with the milk and extract. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk a teaspoon at a time. Drizzle the icing over the rolls while they are still quite warm. Enjoy!