European Sweet Breakfast Bread

[nancy]

www.chefs.com/Recipes/RecipeDetails.aspx?id=7915

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 4 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients

1-1/2 tsps. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk, or soy substitute
2 cups organic unbleached all purpose flour
2 Tbsps. whole blanched almonds
1/2 cup butter, or soy margarine, softened
1/3 cup honey
2 eggs, or egg substitute
2 tsps. Frontier Lemon Peel Granules
1 tsp. Frontier Cardamom Seed Ground
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 tsp. raisins

Instructions

Directions: In a meduim-size bowl dissolve yeast in warm milk, stir in 1/2 cup flour until smooth. Let rise in a warm place until bubbly and doubled in size, 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. Generously butter a 10 inch bread pan. Arrange whole almonds in an attractive pattern on the bottom. Beat butter and honey in a large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir down yeast mixture. Mix with butter-egg mixture then, add Frontier spices, and 1 cup of flour, chopped almonds and raisins. Stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Knead in remaining flour, and place in prepared pan. Cover with wax paper and a clean towel and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to temperature 400°F. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to temperature 350°F, and continue baking 40 minutes longer, or until nicely browned and a wooden pick comes out clean. (If loaf browns too quickly, cover loosely with a square of foil.) Leave in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack, Cool completely.

[nancy]

Maybe not the braided challah bread we were discussing, but this sounds yummy...

[suzanne]

This does sound yummy...I bet it tastes a bit like Stollen, which I love.

[piwo]

suzannem said:

This does sound yummy...I bet it tastes a bit like Stollen, which I love.

Yes it does! It is not the bread I grew up eating, but I'd sure like to try this!!!!

[rdywenur]

Nancy...can I put my order in.

[nancy]

LOL, RDY, I am not the bread baker (I can barely cook anything)... you will have to throw yourself on Piwo's mercy ... he makes terrific chrusicki ;D so I bet the bread is good too.

[piwo]

nancy said:

LOL, RDY, I am not the bread baker (I can barely cook anything)... you will have to throw yourself on Piwo's mercy ... he makes terrific chrusicki ;D so I bet the bread is good too.

Myślę pani jest też Miła. I do much better on dishes I've actually watched be prepared. But I do like the sound of this bread, and will gladly try making it!

[gardenmoma]

02/11/2006

I finally found my friend Judy's recipe for Braid Bread It is quite easy to prepare, and tastes a bit more like Challah than Stolen.

Judy died on December 7th, so I was very anxious to find the paper on which she had originally passed on the recipe to me. She wasn't a passionate cook or baker, but this bread was one of the items she loved to make and made well for most celebratory occasions. So now I have it typed into my files, a hard copy made, and am passing it on to you Enjoy!

Judy's Braid Bread
(Comments by Georgene 02/09/2006)

*Double recipe for two loaves

¼-cup warm water
1-teaspoon sugar
1 pkg. (¼ ounce) dry yeast
1 cup scalded and slightly cooled milk
1-teaspoon salt
¼ cup soft shortening (Crisco, butter-flavored Crisco, unsalted butter)
One egg, beaten
3 ½ to 4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 to 1 ½ cup raisins or other dried fruit

Combine warm water, teaspoon of sugar and yeast in a small bowl; allow standing and dissolving for five minutes.

Combine scalded milk, salt, shortening, egg and ¼ cup of sugar; add about ½ the flour and raisins; beat smooth. (I like to wait and add raisins before the first rising.) Stir in yeast. Add flour gradually to form very stiff dough. Knead on heavily floured board until smooth and no longer sticky. Addition of more flour may be necessary. Place in greased bowl; cover; let rise in arm place until doubled.

Punch down dough and divide into thirds. On floured board, roll each part to form a 15-inch strand. On well-greased or parchment-lined baking sheet pinch three ends together; braid dough; when braid is finished, pinch other ends together. (Or alternately bake in a long narrow pan - Pan de Mie / Pullman - 13"x4"x4". This is not as pretty, but is quicker and makes for uniform slices.) Cover with towel; let rise in warm place about 10 minutes.

Bake on middle rack of 400° oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until done. Cover with foil about half the baking time to prevent excessive browning. (I learned this the hard way!) Cool on rack for 10 or more minutes and then decorate with glaze.

GLAZE:

1 tablespoon soft (unsalted is best) butter
1 cup shifted confectioner's sugar
2 tablespoons milk
¼-teaspoon vanilla

Beat ingredients together until smooth; drizzle over warm braid bread.

[suzanne]

GM,

I am very sorry for the recent loss of your friend.

But thank you for sharing her recipe. It looks like a good kitchen-tested one to add to one's collection. I love yeasty Challah bread or anything that tastes like it.