Twisted Christmas Tree Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water until foamy. In another bowl, combine milk, egg, butter, sugar and salt; add yeast mixture and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 4 portions. Roll 1 portion into a 12-in. circle. Place on a greased 14-in. pizza pan. Spread with one-third of the jam to within 1/2 in. of edge. Repeat twice, layering dough and jam, and ending with final portion of dough., Place a 2-1/2-in. round cutter on top of the dough in center of circle (do not press down). With a sharp knife, make 16 evenly spaced cuts from round cutter to edge of dough, forming a starburst. Remove cutter; grasp 2 adjacent strips and rotate twice outward. Pinch ends together. Repeat with remaining strips., Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake until golden brown, 18-22 minutes. (Watch during final 5 minutes for any dripping.) Remove from oven; brush with melted butter, avoiding areas where jam is visible. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line an upside-down baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
• Add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, drizzle in 1/4 cup of the olive oil until incorporated. The pesto should be slightly chunky, not smooth.
• Combine the mozzarella, ricotta, pecorino, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Add the pesto to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.
• Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 1 large and 2 small triangles; one of the 12-inch sides will be the base of the large triangle with the 2 small triangles on either side. Combine the 15-inch sides of the 2 small triangles to create a large triangle on the prepared baking sheet, tugging and pressing down on the dough as needed to shape it. This will be the base of the tree.
• Leaving a 1/4-inch border around the perimeter of the triangle, spread the pesto and cheese mixture evenly to cover the base. Cover it with the remaining large triangle, tugging the dough as needed to fit over the base. Seal the 1/4-inch border by firmly pressing the top edge down onto the bottom.
• Leaving a 1-inch "trunk" down the middle of the tree intact, use a sharp knife to cut horizontal lines, about 1 1/2 inches apart, from the middle "trunk" to each edge, making "branches." Twist each "branch" to reveal the layers of cheese and pesto. The shorter ones will twist once or twice. The longer ones will twist three or four times.
• Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Lightly brush with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Serve warm.

Steps:

• 1. Filling: Combine all fruits, sugar, cinnamon, the boiling water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is melted and mixture is well blended. set aside to cool. This may be made the day before.
• 2. Dough: Measure sifted flour, add baking powder, salt and 3 Tablespoons of sugar and sift together. Cut in butter. Add lemon rind, Combine egg and cream. Add to flour mixture, stirring only until soft dough is formed about 20 strokes. Turn out on lightly floured surface; knead about 1 minute.
• 3. To Make Tree: Divide dough in 1/2. Roll each 1/2 into a triangle, (tree shape, about 1/8 inch thick). Trim off a narrow strip from bottom of each triangle; cut strip in half. Place one of the triangles on greased baking sheet. Fasten 2 of the strips at bottom to form a tree trunk. Spread cooled filling evenly over entire tree, leaving 1/4 inch edge of pastry. Moisten edge. Arrange the second triangle and remaining 2 strips on top; press edges together like for pie crust. Cut 4 or 5 slits on each side of tree and 3 or 4 in center of tree for vents. Twist side tips upward to resemble branches(filling will show) Bake in 375^ oven for 20-25 minutes. Frost with a simple white icing and sprinkle with green decorating sugar. Decorate with red hot cinnamon candy pieces, here and there.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Flip a baking sheet upside down and place a piece of parchment paper on top. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and Club House ranch dip seasoning. Stir until well mixed. Fold in the spinach. Set aside.
• Roll out the tube of pizza dough on a piece of parchment paper set on a flat surface. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut from a bottom corner to the center of the top. Repeat on the other side so you have 1 full triangle and 2 halves of a triangle on either side.
• Transfer both side-triangle pieces to the prepared baking sheet. Pinch the middle seam to seal and stretch the dough to form a single triangle.
• Spread the spinach dip over a side of the triangle.
• Spread the pesto over the other side of the triangle.
• Flip the remaining dough triangle on top of the filling and remove the parchment from the top. Stretch the dough to cover completely.
• Using a pizza cutter or knife, make horizontal slices about 1 inch apart from the top to bottom, leaving the middle "trunk" of the tree intact.
• Pull the strips outwards and twist.
• In a small bowl, mix the melted butter and garlic and brush over the tree.
• Sprinkle with the Club House Italian herbs and shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Bake the tree for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
• Serve with marinara sauce.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sprinkle a work surface with flour to prevent sticking. Cut the pizza dough into 32 pieces by dividing it in half, then cutting each half in half and so on until you have 32 fairly evenly-sized pieces. Cut the mozzarella into 32 cubes.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Insert 1 piece of the mozzarella into each of the dough pieces, pinching the dough around the cheese and rolling into a ball. Make sure the cheese is completely sealed inside the dough. Repeat with all of the cheese and dough.
• Arrange the dough balls into the shape of a Christmas tree on the prepared baking sheet. Start with 1 at the center of the top of the sheet pan as the treetop. Then make rows of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in a pyramid shape below the first ball, to make a triangular "tree" shape. Place the last 2 balls at the top of the pyramid to act as a tree topper.
• Melt the butter in a small pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Brush half of the garlic butter over the dough and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the dough is lightly browned and cooked through. (It¿s okay if some of the cheese bursts through ¿ it will crisp up and taste delicious.)
• Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining garlic butter, then sprinkle with the parsley and mixed herbs. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and spread the basil ribbons over the top. If desired, spoon some of the sauce in lines across the tree to look like a garland. Serve immediately with the remaining sauce on the side.

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a large bowl or the bowl of a freestanding mixer. Add the yeast and sugar to one side of the bowl and 1 tsp fine salt to the other. Mix together, then add the melted butter and 275ml warm water. Mix to a dough, then knead for 10 mins by hand (or 5 mins in a freestanding mixer) until the dough feels stretchy and soft. Clean out the bowl, then lightly grease with a little oil. Turn the dough over in the oiled bowl until it's well coated. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and set aside somewhere warm until the dough has doubled in size. Alternatively, put the dough in the fridge and leave to rise slowly for 2 days (bring it to room temperature before continuing to step 2).
• Line your largest baking sheet with parchment, and dust with polenta or cornmeal. Drain the mozzarella and dry the balls on some kitchen paper. Tip the dough onto your work surface and punch out the air bubbles. To make a Christmas tree shape, you'll need 23 balls. Tear off lumps of dough, ensuring each one is roughly the same size (if you want to be exact, weigh the dough, divide the weight by 23, then weigh each ball of dough as you break them off).
• Shape each piece of dough into a disc and place a ball of mozzarella in the middle. Pull up the sides of the dough to encase the cheese, pinching the dough together to seal. Roll into a ball and place on the baking sheet, sealed-side down, in a tree shape. Leave a little space between each ball, as they will grow when proving. You're likely to have 2 or 3 balls without mozzarella, so use these pieces of dough for the trunk - for anyone who doesn't like cheese. Cover the tray with a sheet of oiled cling film and set aside for 30 mins until almost doubled in size.
• While the dough proves, make the tomato dipping sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic and sizzle for 30 secs until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, oregano, vinegar, sugar and some seasoning. Bubble for 30 mins until the sauce is thick. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• When the dough is ready, uncover the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 mins until golden brown. Meanwhile, make the garlic butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the garlic and sizzle for 1-2 mins until the garlic is a shade darker (but not brown). When the bread is cooked, transfer it to a platter. Stir most of the parsley into the garlic butter and use a pastry brush to brush it all over the bread. Leave it to soak in, then brush on more. Sprinkle over a little extra parsley to garnish, if you like. Reheat the tomato sauce and serve it alongside the bread with any remaining garlic butter.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with a silicone liner (such as Silpat®).
• Roll pastry into a 14-inch square, sprinkling with flour if necessary.
• Cut from the bottom corners up to the center top to make a triangle. Place the triangle on a prepared baking sheet and place in the refrigerator.
• Overlap the long edges of the 2 remaining pieces of pastry by about ½ inch to form a second triangle. Roll to flatten slightly. Place on the second prepared baking sheet and chill until needed.
• Remove the first triangle from the refrigerator. Lift the silicone liner and pastry off the pan and onto the counter. Trim about 1 ½ inches off the bottom of the triangle and cut a 2-inch piece from that strip. Tuck that piece under the triangle to make a trunk.
• Spread all but 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto sauce over the entire triangle, leaving ¼ inch exposed at the edges. Grate most of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the pesto. Place the second pastry triangle over top; stretch and pull it to fit, and trim off any extra dough as needed. Lightly press the edges together to seal and pat over the whole surface of the dough.
• Use a pizza wheel to cut ¾-inch horizontal strips on one side of the tree going from the outside edge in to about ¼ to ½ inch from the center; leave the center part connected to form the trunk. As you move up the tree, it may be easier to place the pizza wheel at the trunk and cut out to the edge. Repeat on the other side, lining up the cuts with the first side.
• Lift up each strip and twist 3 to 4 times. As you get up to the shorter pieces near the top, twist as many times as you can, but don't worry if you can't twist the strips at the very top.
• Brush remaining pesto over the center of the tree and any other spots you feel need it. Transfer the silicone liner back onto a baking sheet. Grate remaining cheese over top.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until pastry is fully cooked and well browned, 30 to 35 minutes; do not undercook.
• Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes before serving.