Holiday Braid
My family devours this lovely, special yeast bread during the holidays. The braid gives it such a festive look. I make it year-round, eliminating the candied cherries and serving it as a breakfast bread.
My family devours this lovely, special yeast bread during the holidays. The braid gives it such a festive look. I make it year-round, eliminating the candied cherries and serving it as a breakfast bread.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon milk
- glaze:
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 14 oz active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup imperial sugar(r) / dixie crystals(r) granulated s
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup red and green candied cherries chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- additional candied cherries optional
- Carbohydrate 55.4230040184596 g
- Cholesterol 29.8187216103425 mg
- Fat 9.67669686341437 g
- Fiber 6.44646086056439 g
- Protein 14.2067810952572 g
- Saturated Fat 4.58128080103285 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (121g)
- Sodium 473.076638100952 mg
- Sugar 48.9765431578953 g
- Trans Fat 1.08404466936296 g
- Calories 350 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in milk. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, lemon peel and cardamom. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add yeast mixture and whole egg; mix well. Stir in cherries, raisins and pecans.
- Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour (dough will not double in size).
- Punch dough down; divide into four pieces. Roll three pieces into 15-in. ropes. Braid ropes; place on a greased baking sheet. Divide last portion of dough in half; roll each into a 15-in. rope. Twist ropes. Press an indentation down the center of braided loaf; place twisted dough in indentation. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Beat egg yolk and water; brush over loaf. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; bake 20-25 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack. Combine sugar and milk; drizzle over loaf. Decorate with cherries if desired.
When working with enriched yeast doughs containing high amounts of butter and sugar, temperature management dictates success. Cold dairy inhibits yeast activity, so the warm milk must register between 105 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit before dissolving the dry yeast. Cutting the butter directly into the dry flour mixture coats the starch molecules with fat, limiting gluten development and yielding a tender, crumbly interior rather than a tough, chewy loaf.
Kneading this heavy dough for six to eight minutes develops the necessary structural network to trap carbon dioxide without tearing. Unlike leaner breads, this formulation requires two distinct rise periods: an initial one-hour rest where the dense dough relaxes without doubling, followed by a final thirty-minute proof after shaping. Pressing an indentation down the center of the main braid creates a secure channel for the secondary twisted ropes, preventing slippage during the second rise.
Adapting this enriched dough for different dietary requirements is straightforward. Replacing standard dairy butter with an equal volume of neutral coconut oil or plant-based margarine maintains the required fat ratio, while substituting unsweetened almond milk for cow's milk retains hydration levels. Candied cherries and pecans can be omitted entirely or substituted with dried currants and toasted pumpkin seeds without altering the hydration requirements of the flour and liquid base.
Baking proceeds in two distinct stages to prevent exterior scorching before the center cooks. Covering the loaf loosely with aluminum foil after the initial twenty minutes at 350 degrees blocks direct radiant heat, allowing the interior crumb to set safely over the subsequent twenty to twenty-five minutes. Once cooled completely, the baked loaf freezes exceptionally well for up to one month when wrapped tightly in plastic and foil, requiring only a gentle thirty-minute thaw at room temperature before slicing.
