Bread Machine (200 page)
You may have some of your own traditions for serving holiday breads. Here are some of my menu suggestions.
Easter Sunday Brunch
Fresh Orange Juice & Cranberry Juice with Lime Wedges
Spiral-Cut Glazed Ham
Maple Mustard & Horseradish Cream
Spring Asparagus Tart
Creamy Cole Slaw
Bibb Lettuce with Oranges, Red Onions & Olives
A Variety of Easter Breads:
Kulich
Sweet Babka with Chocolate Swirl
Cardamom Easter Braid
Maritozzi Romani
Pasqua Cheese
& Butter Curls
Coffee, Tea, Milk
•••
Christmas Open House
Hot Mulled Red Wine & Hot Spiced Apple Juice
Eggnog with Brandy & Rum on the Side
Champagne, White Wine & Asti Spumante
Mineral Water
Seasonal Crudité Basket with
Hot Artichoke Dip
Elegant & Rustic Cheeses with Seasonal Fresh Fruit
Savory Appetizer Cheesecake
Mushrooms Stuffed with Pancetta and Herbs
Teriyaki Sesame Chicken Wings
Side of Smoked Salmon with
Flavored Cream Cheeses &
Bagels
Capers & Lemon
Cold Crab Pâté
Eggplant Caponata on French Bread
Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
Spinach & Feta Filo Triangles
Rosemary Pecans
A Variety of Christmas Breads:
Spicy Pear Bread
Stolle de Nöel
Venetian Panettone
Anise Christmas Bread
Apple Challah
Christmas Cookies & Gingerbread Men
Chocolate Truffles
Coffee
BOLO REI
Makes 1 ring loaf
S
panish and Mexican holiday breads are always sweet like this one, shaped into an oversized donut-like ring. Called
bolo rei
in Portuguese, and
rosca
in Mexico and the Iberian peninsula, it even shows up in Italy as
aciambella.
The shape comes from when breads were designed as circular objects to symbolize spiral or coiled serpents. If you would like this to be a more festive bread, sprinkle the dough with 1 cup of chopped
Holiday Glacéed Dried Fruit
before rolling it up, but I like it plain as it is given here, with the flavors of rum and orange. (Traditionally a coin or small porcelain doll would also be rolled up in the dough, and it was considered good luck for the diner who got the prize.) This bread is made from Christmas to Epiphany, the feast of the three kings (or the Twelfth Day of Christmas).
1
1
/
2
- OR 2-POUND-LOAF MACHINES
1
/
2
cup milk
1
/
2
cup water
2 tablespoons amber rum
2 large eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, partially melted
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1
/
2
cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
1
1
/
2
teaspoons salt
2
1
/
2
teaspoons SAF yeast or 1 tablespoon bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons rum, for glaze
Whole blanched almonds, whole glacéed dried fruit, candied citrus peel, or candied angelica, for decorating
Place all the dough ingredients in the pan according to the order in the manufacturer’s instructions. Program for the Dough cycle; press Start. The dough ball will be firm and pliable.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle, press Stop and unplug the machine. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Without working the dough further, roll out with a rolling pin to a 9-by-18-inch rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll fashion, from a long edge. Pinch the seams to seal, leaving the ends open. Place on the baking sheet and form into a round circle by connecting the two open ends. Seal by dipping your fingers in water and pinching closed. Place a greased ovenproof bowl about the same size as the center hole upside down in the space to keep the hole from closing during baking. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Brush the ring with the egg glaze. Make designs by pressing in the dried fruit and nut pieces (I like a daisy effect). Let rest for another 15 minutes, uncovered.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the baking pan and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before serving.
GREEK SWEET BREAD
Makes 1 round loaf
T
hose of the Greek Orthodox faith have a sweet bread for every major holiday. At Easter there is
Lambropsomo,
for Christmas,
Christopsomo,
and for New Year’s Day
Vasilopita,
or St. Basil’s Bread. The same basic dough is used for each bread, but the flavoring and shape vary. I shape this loaf into a simple large round. But do vary the flavorings—large round. But do vary the flavorings—two variations are given here. I use apple pie spice in the bread. This combination of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves gives a hint of the traditional flavors of the more exotic ground mastic, a resiny spice, and mahlepi seeds, from the pits of St. Lucy’s cherries. Use a strong, dark honey if you can. Greek Sweet Bread should be served with honey as a sweet, never with butter.
1
1
/
2
-POUND LOAF
For the dough:
3
/
4
cup fat-free milk
1
/
4
cup fruity olive oil