Sweet & Spicy Christmas Tree Bread

• Produce

  • 110 g Fruit, Dried mixed

• Condiments

  • 75 g Butter or sunflower margarine
  • 2 tbsp Marmalade

• Baking & Spices

  • 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp Christmas spice or mixed spice
  • 200 g Icing sugar
  • 1 tbsp Instant yeast
  • 3 tbsp Sugar
  • 600 g White bread flour, strong

• Dairy

  • 350 ml Buttermilk

• Liquids

  • 2 tbsp Water

• Other

  • Approx 20 glace cherries or your choice of decoration

Found on talesfromthekitchenshed.com

Description

Ingredients

• 600 g strong white bread flour
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 75 g softened butter or sunflower margarine
• 350 ml buttermilk (or half milk and half natural yoghurt)
• 110 g dried mixed fruit
• 2 tablespoons chopped marmalade
• 1 teaspoon Christmas Spice or mixed spice
• 200 g icing sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons boiling water
• Approx 20 glace cherries or your choice of decoration
• You will need: 1 large baking tray lined with baking parchment

Directions

• Warm the buttermilk (or milk and yoghurt mixture) for 1 minute in a microwave on full power. The liquid temperature needs to be tepid to warm so as to encourage the yeast to start working – too much heat will kill the yeast. Gently warm liquid in a saucepan if you don’t have a microwave.
• Combine all the dough ingredients in a large bowl, stirring them together until they form a ball.
• Knead by hand for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the dough ingredients into your mixer bowl.
• Mix on slow speed number 1 for approximately 1 to 2 minutes then on speed number 2 for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Your dough should be lovely and smooth and elastic.
• Place your dough in a large greased mixing bowl and cover.
• Leave to rest in a warm place for at least one and a half hours or until doubled in size.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide into 22 portions of approximately 55g to 60g each.
• Shape 21 portions into balls and the last piece into an oblong for the tree trunk.
• Place the dough balls onto the baking tray in the shape of the Christmas tree – see photos – with 6 dough balls on the first row and the tree trunk underneath at the centre.
• Continue with 5 dough balls on the second and so on until you have a single dough ball at the top.
• Leave no more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) between each dough ball and when risen they will touch each other, which maintains the Christmas tree shape.
• Cover and leave to rise for about 45 minutes or until well risen.
• Bake in the oven the 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
• Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of boiling water and mix. You want the icing to be quite thick and not too runny so you can get the snow effect.
• You may need to add a touch more water but add a drop at a time.
• Let your bread cool for about 10 minutes (it still wants to be warm) before you add the icing.
• Prop up your cooling rack on one end so that the icing can drip a little.
• Place about a teaspoonful of icing on the top of each bread ball and spread it to cover the tops.
• I just used the teaspoon to spread the icing a little, see photos.
• Place the cherries on your Christmas tree bread and leave to set.