Add a sweet treat to your breakfast beverage with some easy-to-prepare pasteries, including a Cherry-Chocolate Loaf and a Cinnamon-Pecan Ring.

There's something inherently satisfying in sitting down to a cup of tea or coffee and having a sweet treat to accompany it. And as great as doughnuts are for providing that something sweet with your morning beverage, they're just not quite the same as a sticky bun, a cinnamon roll or other type of baked sweet bread. Fortunately, you don't have to resign yourself to those bakery-prepared items either. With just a basic Sweet Bread Dough and a few simple ingredients, you can have some delectable breakfast treats for the family to enjoy, like a Cherry-Chocolate Loaf or a Cinnamon-Pecan Ring that will have everyone out of bed and begging for a piece. The great advantage to preparing these sweet treats is that you can make these in advance, refrigerate or freeze them, and then bake them as needed. What a great way to welcome the morning and the start of a new day!

Cherry-Chocolate Loaf

Makes 2 loaves, About 12 servings each

1 recipe Sweet Bread Dough (recipe follows)

1 1/2 cups canned cherry pie filling

2/3 cup best-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Sifted confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Prepare the Sweet Bread Dough as directed below. Divide the dough in half; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface roll half of the dough into a 12-inch-by-10-inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread half of the cherry pie filling lengthwise down the center third of the dough. Sprinkle with half of the chocolate pieces. Make 3-inch-long cuts at 1-inch intervals on both long sides with kitchen scissors, cutting from the edge toward the filling. Fold the strips diagonally over filling, alternating the sides and overlapping the strips. Brush the top of the dough with half of the milk; sprinkle with half of the granulated sugar. Repeat with remaining dough, fruit filling, chocolate pieces, milk, and granulated sugar to make a second loaf. Cover; let rise until nearly double in bulk (30 to 45 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the loaves for 25 to 35 minutes or until done, covering with foil after 20 minutes, if necessary, to prevent overbrowning. Remove the loaves from the baking sheets. Cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Cinnamon-Pecan Ring

Makes 12 servings

2 16-ounce loaves frozen white bread dough, thawed

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for buttering pan

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2/3 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons milk or cream

Lightly butter a 14-inch pizza pan; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the thawed dough slightly. Cut each loaf of dough into 4 pieces (8 pieces total). Form each piece into a rope about 18 inches long. Brush the entire surface of each rope with melted butter.

Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Place the mixture in a shallow pan.

Roll 1 rope in the sugar mixture to coat evenly. Shape the rope into a coil in the center of the prepared pan. Roll another rope in the sugar mixture. Attach the second rope securely to the end of the first rope and coil it around the first coil. Continue coating remaining ropes with sugar mixture and attaching them to form a 10- to 11-inch circle. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the ring. Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (30 to 40 minutes). (Or, cover with plastic wrap and let rise overnight in the refrigerator. Before baking, remove from the refrigerator and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. If necessary, cover with foil the last 10 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning. Cool about 15 minutes.

Stir together powdered sugar, vanilla, and enough milk or cream to make a thick glaze. Spoon over ring. Serve warm cut into wedges.

Sweet Bread Dough

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package rapid-rise active dry yeast

1 cup milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. Set the flour mixture aside.

In a medium saucepan stir together the milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Heat just until the mixture is warm (120 degrees F. to 130 degrees F.) and butter almost melts. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Gradually add the eggs. Beat the mixure with a handheld electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Then beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (about 3 to 5 minutes total). Use the dough as directed in the recipes above.