Christy's christmas trees

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.04
  
       Title: Christy's Christmas Trees
  Categories: Breads, Machine, Holidays
       Yield: 1 Loaf
  
 ------------------------1 1/2 POUND------------------------
 
 ---------------------------DOUGH---------------------------
     7/8 c  Buttermilk; for Welbilt/DAK
            -and Zojirushi, add 2 tb.
            -more buttermilk)
       1    Egg
       3 c  All-purpose flour
       1 ts Salt
       4 tb Butter or margarine
     1/4 c  Sugar
   1 1/2 ts Red Star active dry yeast
 
 ---------------------------ICING---------------------------
       1 c  Powdered sugar
       1 tb Milk or eggnog; up to 1.5 Tb
     1/2 ts Vanilla
            Green food coloring
 
 --------------------------GARNISH--------------------------
            Cinnamon red hot candies
  
   1.  Place  dough ingredients in bread pan, select
   Dough setting, and press Start.
   
   2.  When the dough has risen long enough, the machine
   will beep. Turn off bread machine, remove bread pan,
   and turn out dough onto a lightly floured countertop
   or cutting board. Gently roll and stretch dough into
   an 18-inch rope.  Grease a large baking sheet(s).
   
   With a sharp knife, divide the dough into 17 pieces.
   Roll each piece into a ball and place it on the
   greased baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree,
   spaced about a half-inch apart; 5 balls for the bottom
   roll, 4 balls for the next row, 3 balls for the next
   row, 2 balls for the next row, and 1 ball at the top.
   Combine the remaining 2 balls into 1 large ball,
   gently roll it into a thick rope and shape it into an
   "S" to form the tree trunk.
   
   VARIATION:  This recipe makes one large Christmas tree
   coffee cake. To create 2, 4, or 6 smaller trees,
   simply divide the dough into 2, 4, or 6 pieces
   initially and then follow the directions for dividing
   up the dough and shaping each tree.
   
   3.  Cover and let rise in a warm oven for 30 to 45
   minutes until doubled. (Hint:  To warm oven slightly,
   turn oven on Warm setting for 1 minute, then turn it
   off, and place covered dough in oven to rise. Remove
   from oven to preheat.)  Remove baking sheet(s) from
   oven. Preheat oven to 375 F.
   
   4.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on
   a cake rack.
   
   5.  When the coffee cake(s) is cooled, in a small
   bowl, combine the icing ingredients, adding enough
   liquid to make the icing thin enough to spread over
   the coffee cake. Spread each roll with icing, then
   decorate with cinnamon red hot candies.
   
   Yields 1 Christmas tree coffee cake.  Nutritional
   information per Christmas tree:  Calories 149, Fat 3.4
   g, Carbohydrate 26.3 g, Protein 3.2 g, Fiber .7 gm,
   Sodium 166 mg, Cholesterol 20.5 mg.
   
   Joyce's Notes:  For a cinnamon nut coffee cake, I
   added 1 tsp. of cinnamon and about 1/2 cups chopped
   pecans. Good!! I also made 2 trees by dividing the
   dough in half, then making 12 balls, using 10 for the
   tree and 2 for the trunk.
   
   Source:  "The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful
   Hints" by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway.