Snail-shaped Sweet Bread

Description
In Romanian: Melci

Sweet bread dough

 * 2 lbs / 1 kg flour
 * 10 oz / 300 g sugar
 * 1½ cups milk
 * 6 eggs
 * 2 oz / 50 g yeast
 * 7 oz / 200 g butter
 * 2 tablespoons oil
 * vanilla stick
 * salt
 * 2 – 3 tablespoons ground walnuts
 * mixed with a little sugar

Syrup

 * 3 tablespoons sugar
 * 1 cup water
 * vanilla

Sweet bread dough

 * 1) Make a starter from yeast and a teaspoon of sugar.
 * 2) Mix until the consistency of sour cream, add 2 – 3 tablespoons tepid milk, a little flour and mix well; sprinkle some flour on top, cover and let sit in a warm place to rise.
 * 3) Boil the milk with the vanilla stick (cut in very small pieces) and leave it on the side of the range, covered, to keep warm.
 * 4) Mix the yolks with the sugar and salt, then slowly pour the tepid milk, stirring continuously.
 * 5) Place the risen starter in a large bowl and pour, stirring continuously, the yolk-milk mixture and some flour, a little at a time.
 * 6) Then add 3 whipped egg whites. When you finish this step, start kneading.
 * 7) Knead, adding melted butter combined with oil, a little at a time, until the dough starts to easily come off your palms.
 * 8) Cover with a cloth and then something thicker (like a blanket).
 * 9) Leave in a warm place to triple in bulk.
 * 10) If during kneading the dough seems too hard, you may add a little milk.
 * If, on the contrary, the dough seems too soft, you may add a little flour.
 * 1) When the dough has risen well, take a piece of it, place on the floured work surface, give it the desired shape (round, oval, braided, etc.) and place in the baking pan previously greased with butter.
 * 2) Let rise some more in the pan in a warm place.

Assembly

 * 1) Take pieces of dough the size of an egg and make finger thick ropes.
 * 2) Roll in the shape of a snail, set on a greased pan and let rise a little.
 * 3) Bake the snails, remove from the pan and quickly dunk into the hot syrup.
 * 4) Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with ground walnuts mixed with sugar.