of orange fills your head while you bite into sweet bursts of raisins and an occasional chunk of
pecan. It makes a perfect holiday hostess gift, if it makes it out of your house in one piece!
¼ cup plus cup warm water,
divided
1 packet (¼ ounce or 2¼
teaspoons) rapid-rise yeast
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground fl axseed
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon
margarine, melted
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons
warm milk
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 5 cups fl our
cup raisins
cup chopped pecans
zest of one orange
In a large bowl, combine ¼ cup warm water, yeast and a
pinch of sugar. Let sit for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.
While yeast is sitting, in a small bowl, combine fl axseed and
remaining cup water. Whip mixture with a fork until it
looks a bit cloudy and let sit for several minutes to thicken.
In another bowl, combine sugar, margarine and milk. Add
milk mixture and fl axseed mixture to yeast mixture. Beat
until combined; it is easiest to use an electric hand mixer.
Mix fl our with salt and begin adding fl our mixture to yeast
mixture 1 cup at a time. As dough begins to thicken, you
may wish to switch over to a spatula for mixing. Once a
sticky dough comes together, add raisins, pecans and orange
zest. Turn dough out onto a fl oured surface and knead,
adding fl our as needed, until dough is soft and elastic, but
no longer sticky, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place dough in
an oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with a kitchen
towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size,
about 1 hour.
After dough has risen, line a baking sheet with parchment
paper. Punch dough down and turn out onto a fl oured
surface. Knead dough several times to make it more elastic
again. Divide dough into three even pieces. Roll out each
piece into a thick rope, approximately 18 to 20 inches long,
making sure that all three are the same length. Lay pieces
on the baking sheet and pinch together the three ends that
are far thest from you. Begin to braid the bread, overlapping
the dough strips until completely braided. Pinch together
the braided ends well. Cover dough and let rise for about
20 minutes.
While dough is on its second rise, preheat the oven to
375 degrees. Once dough has risen, gently brush the top
with remaining melted margarine and bake for 15 minutes
at 375 degrees. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees
and continue baking for 20 minutes longer, until bread is
browned and golden. Let loaf cool completely, then ice
with White Icing. Store leftover bread covered at room
temperature.
Yield: 1 LARGE LOAF, ABOUT 14 SLICES
Prep time: 40 MINUTES ACTIVE
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