Almond - Apricot Holiday Wreath 

Tags (edit):  Breads Breakfast  

Instructions
In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand until yeast is soft, about 5 minutes. Add milk, 2 eggs, vanilla and almond extract, beat to blend.

In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar and salt. Add 3/4 cup butter and rub with your fingers or beat with a mixer on slow speed until fine crumbs form. Add the milk-egg mixture and stir until well moistened

Scrape dough into a lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and no longer sticky, 10 to 15 minutes. Add more flour as required to prevent sticking. Return the dough to the bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until at least doubled in volume, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Knead briefly on a lightly floured board to expel air

Set aside 2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots. On a lightly floured board, roll dough into a 10 by 36 inch rectangle. Scatter remaining apricots, the almond paste (cut into chunks) and raisins over the dough to within 1/2 inch of each long side. Starting from one long side, roll dough snugly to form a rope. Brush the outer edge with water, then pinch firmly along the rope to seal.

On a buttered 14 by 17 inch baking sheet, shape dough, placing seams down and butting ends together to form a ring with a 6 inch wide opening in the center. With a floured, sharp knife, make a cut every 2 inches that goes 3/4 of the way through the dough from outside edge towards the center. Lift each cut section, one at time, and twist to the right to lay the cut on its side.

Cover the wreath loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until slightly puffy, about 30 to 40 minutes. In small bowl, beat the remaining egg to blend. Uncover the wreath and brush slightly with the egg. At this point, you can seal it airtight and store at room temperature or freeze.

Bake in a 325 degree oven until bread is deep golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on pan about an hour. Slide 2 wide metal spatulas under the wreath to release and transfer to a platter or board

Spoon orange glaze evenly over the warm bread. Sprinkle reserved chopped apricots onto moist glaze.

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Yields: 6 Servings


Sunset Magazine, December 2000, Page 140
notes:  Just add all the dry ingredients (including the yeast! -- no startup time needed) MINUS A TABLE SPOON, then add the oils, fat, eggs, etc, then give it a pulse. As you're pulsing it, add water (or milk) until most of the four catches on. The dough will form a solid mass, then get chopped up, then stick again, etc. Keep pulsing until all the liquids are absorbed, and the solid mass seems smooth. If it's too wet, add the table spoon of dry ingredients (just flour is fine), and knead again. The ball of dough can get chopped up, but it will form again when all the flour (or moisture) are thoroughly blended.