Quick Christmas Tree Bread

* Exported from MasterCook II *

QUICK CHRISTMAS TREE BREAD

Recipe By : COOKING LIVE SHOW #CL8772
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cooking Live New Text Import

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, yolk and white separated
3/4 cup (4 ounces) diced dried fruit mix
(or make your own, mixing raisins,
currants, snipped dried apricots, apples,
prunes-whatever's on hand)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or ground
cinnamon, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
and 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves or ground a
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted
butter, cut into small pieces
Granulated sugar or homemade vanilla pearl


Check to see that one rack is in bottom third of oven and heat oven
to 425
degrees F.

Measure milk in a 2-cup measure, add sugar and egg yolk, stir to mix
well.
Stir in dried fruit. Let stand until ready to use.

Put flour, baking powder, spice, and salt into a large bowl, stir to
mix
well. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or rub in with
fingers,
until mixture looks like fine granules.

Stir milk mixture and pour over flour mixture. Stir with a fork until
a
soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and
give 10
kneads. (If very sticky, let stand 3 or 4 minutes or add a little
more
flour.) Cut off about one-fourth of the dough. Put remaining dough on
an
ungreased cookie sheet at least 16 inches long. Using both rolling
pin and
fingers, pat and roll dough into a flat triangle about 12 inches long
and 9
inches wide across the bottom. With scissors, make about ten diagonal
cuts
down each long side of the triangle, cutting to within about 1 inch
of the
center.

Shape a small piece of reserved dough into a trunk at bottom of tree
and
remaining dough into a "pot." Dough may now be covered with plastic
wrap
and refrigerated for a couple of hours or frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Bake tree 10 minutes. Beat egg white with a fork until broken up.
Brush
over hot bread, sprinkle with sugar. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer,
until
light brown. With two spatulas, carefully transfer tree to a wire
rack. If
possible, cool at least 2 hours before serving. Let guests break off
small
pieces.

Yield: 10 to 12 small servings

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