Quick christmas tree bread

 
                         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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