Holiday Bread Wreath!

I enjoy creating new dishes especially when the holidays come around.  The old tried and true are wonderful but every so often you need to break out of your comfort zone and try something different. 

When I saw this post on Sara Kate's blog I knew I had to try some version of this Holiday Bread Wreath.  I've never been much of a bread baker and as I'm getting older I find I shy away from eating bread altogether because of the carbs and calories.  All that flew out the window when I laid my eyes on this spectacular loaf of swirling bread.

Much to my surprise it wasn't difficult at all.  In fact it was easy and turned out tasting delicious!  My husband thought it was pretty but didn't want to indulge so I decided to share it with my mom and sister.  When I unveiled my creation they were all oohs and ahhs, just what I'd hoped.  We all dug in, had a slice and loved it.  The rest was left for my mom to share with her friends who would be stopping by later.

This beautiful Holiday Bread Wreath would be a lovely gift to give someone or perfect served on Christmas morning.  Warm and cozy with some coffee, tea or hot cocoa.

The recipe below comes from the December 1978 issue of Sunset Magazine.  However, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan made some changes to it and I made some changes to her recipe. 





Below is my step by step version and this is Sara Kate's of The Kitchn:

Holiday Bread Wreath with Cranberry-Pistachio Filling
adapted from Sunset Magazine, December 1978
makes about 12 servings

1 packet (1/4oz) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (about 110° F)
1/2 cup warm milk (about 110° F)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Cranberry-Pistachio Filling:

3/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries, soaked in 1/2 cup Calvados (I used) or other liqueur
6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup shelled pistachios
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon orange extract

For the Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and let it foam up for a minute or two. (looks like fireworks going off in the water)

Blend in the milk, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, eggs and orange zest.

Stir in two cups of the flour, one cup at a time. Beat for 2 minutes. (I used my stand mixer) Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft, workable dough. (dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl)

Note: You might not use all the flour.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth, shiny and elastic, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed to prevent sticking. (You know it's ready when dough becomes smooth, shiny and if you poke the dough it springs back)

Place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl (I spray with non-stick spray) large enough to accommodate dough when doubled in size. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (about 1 1/2 hours).

Meanwhile, prepare the Cranberry-Pistachio Filling:

Drain the dried fruit of its liqueur and reserve for another use. In a small bowl, combine the drained fruit with remaining filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

When dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured board, kneading just enough to release any air bubbles.

Roll the dough into a 9- by 30-inch rectangle.

Crumble the filling over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. (forgot to take photo but can view Sara Kate's photos for reference) Starting along a long side, tightly roll up the dough, pinching edge against loaf to seal.

With a sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise, carefully turn cut sides up,

and loosely twist ropes around each other, keeping cut sides up. (An extra set of hands would have been nice here)

Carefully transfer the wreath to a greased and floured baking sheet (I used Pam Baking Spray) and shape into a wreath, pinching ends together to seal.

Let it rise, uncovered, in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Bake wreath until lightly browned, about 25 minutes.

While wreath is baking, Prepare Sugar Glaze by stirring together ingredients until smooth.

When wreath is done, transfer to a cooling rack with wide spatulas or a pizza peel.

Cool for a few minutes then drizzle the glaze over the warm wreath. Serve sliced with extra butter if you're feeling decadent.

The wreath can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time, cooled completely and wrapped tightly in foil.

Store at room temperature then re-heat at 350° for 10-15 minutes, drizzling the glaze just before serving.

Note: Next time I'm planning to make this using chocolate chips, coconut, and macadamia nuts.  In place of the milk I'll use coconut milk and vanilla or coconut extract.

This bread can be adapted to use any type of dried fruit and ingredients you like.  I think even adding cream cheese to the filling would be sensational.  Be creative and don't be afraid to experiment.   Afterall, that's the fun part of cooking!

Enjoy!

Virtual Cookie Swap & Giveaway!

AND GIVEAWAY!

The holidays are coming and it's always such an exciting time of the year for me.  Besides teaching  culinary classes for adults and children and going to holiday gatherings I also bake A LOT, and share my baked goods for gifts or with whomever I can. 

Years ago, I heard of something called a "cookie exchange or swap".  Of course I had no idea what this was, nor had I ever been to one, let alone given one. 

A cookie exchange is where you invite a group of friends, relatives, and neighbors over to your house to exchange homemade cookies or even bar cookies, etc.  Every person brings anywhere from one to six dozen of one type of cookie.  The cookies are laid out on the dining room table and exchanged.  The result is that everyone goes home with an assortment of one - six dozen different types of cookies (based on the number brought).  The recipes are also swapped, so that if you take home a new cookie that you really like, you will be able to make it yourself.  The cookie party can be given at any time during the year; however, most cookie exchange parties occur in December. 

I've been researching information about hosting a cookie exchange and found that the Cookie Exchange Queen is a woman by the name of Robin Olsen who has written a book, has a website and newsletter with everything you'd ever want to know on the topic.  Since I signed up for it last year she reminded me a couple of weeks ago to get in gear and get my invitations sent out.

Realizing that I have far too much going on in the next couple of months to try and pull one together I decided to host a "Virtual Cookie Swap" on my blog.  Here all my family, friends, bloggers friends, and anyone out in cyberspace can visit.  Since there's plenty of room for everyone, we can all share our favorite cookie or bar recipes.

In addition, I have a fabulous giveaway to go along with my "Virtual Cookie Swap".  Thanks to Kuhn Rikon they've been nice enough to offer one lucky guest that attends my cookie swap and shares a recipe the chance to win a Kuhn Rikon Stainless Steel Cookie Press.  If you don't have one, well, you don't want to be without this for the holidays. Watch these videos to see all that you can do with this wonderful tool!

So that everyone can be a part of my first "virtual cookie swap" here's what you need to know:

Deadline for all recipe submissions is November 14th, 2011 when a winner for the Kuhn Rikon Cookie Press with be selected at random.

1. Post your recipe in the comments section  and if you have a photo post that too.  If you have a cookie recipe that you've already posted on your blog feel free to provide the link to that if you prefer.  Tell us why you've selected the recipe you're sharing.
2. Share in the comments section why you'd like to win the Kuhn Rikon cookie press and "like" the Kuhn Rikon facebook page.
3. Like the "At Home with Vicki Bensinger" facebook page, and place this widget  

on your blog using this link (http://in-homeculinaryclasses.blogspot.com/2011/10/virtual-cookie-swap-giveaway.html), so others can join in on the virtual cookie swap fun as well.

     4. The winner of the Kuhn Rikon Stainless Steel Cookie Press will be selected at random on November 14th, 2011.  Be sure when you post your comments that you leave your contact information in the event you win.  

Note: If you would like to get a PDF of all the recipes with photos submitted to my first annual Virtual Cookie Swap then please email me your recipe at: virtualcookieswap@gmail.com   Be sure when you email your recipe that you:

• enter your first name and last initial or blog name if you prefer
• city and state where you live
• email address so that I can send you a copy of the pdf when it's done (your email address will not be given out)
• Name of your recipe, plus a full list of ingredients and instructions along with # of cookies it makes
• photo of the recipe if you have one.
• share any information that you can about why you selected this recipe (you can copy and paste what you posted in the comments section of my blog)

Oops!  I almost forgot to post my favorite cookie for the holidays, "Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies".  I posted this recipe back in December of 2009.

The recipe can be found here.

Thank you all ahead of time for taking part in my first "Virtual Cookie Swap".  I'm so excited that I'm finally having one.  Maybe next year I'll actually be able to host it in my home.  In the meantime, share your recipes, photos and stories.  Hopefully we'll all have lots of fun, and great cookies and bars to make for family and friends this holiday 2011.

The Winner of the Virtual Cookie Swap Kuhn Rikon Cookie Press (selected at Random) is #18 - Jill, from DulceDough. 
Congratulations Jill.  Please contact me at vkb2@hotmail.com.

I hope everyone has a wonderful time baking all these fantastic holiday treats!

4th of July Celebrations!

Well I have to apologize for not posting anything for over a week. I had good intentions to post a video that I made but had some computer problems and was unable to post it before going out of town. So if I can figure it out I will post it at a later date.

In the meantime I am spending some time in the Colorado Mountains and loving the view here as I blog.

I spent the day yesterday biking for 4 hours through the mountains and decided that I'd take a break this morning for a much needed post on my blog.

It's hard to believe that the 4th of July is just 3 days away. Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday I was blogging about the new year arriving.

I know most of you will be celebrating the holiday with family and friends for lunch or dinner then going out to see fireworks. I love to watch fireworks. In fact when my kids were younger we would go down to the riverfront and watch a HUGE display. My favorite of course was always the finale. The worst part was if you had to use the restroom especially with small children. Having to wait in line to use a port-o-potty was not my idea of fun especially in 100 degree weather with the humidity to match. However, that is what the 4th of July is all about.

Now of course we go to a local golf course not far from our home where we could get there just before the fireworks started and be home in minutes to use the potty.

This year we will watch them in the mountains, a beautiful backdrop for all the fireworks with little humidity.

Anyway, I've been thinking of all the fun things to prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July from fun treats, breakfast ideas to entrees. I came up with a list of things in the event you're still trying to come up with ideas.

For fun festive treats:


















Pretzel Sparklers - To make these just take pretzel rods and melt some white chocolate in a double boiler. Dip 1/2 of the pretzel rod in the chocolate and then sprinkle with red, white and blue sprinkles. Lay on parchment to dry. Then stack together in a nice vase for everyone to have.















Red, White and Blue Strawberries - To make these melt white chocolate again in a double boiler. Then dip 2/3 of the strawberry in the chocolate and dip the bottom 1/3 that's been covered in the white chocolate in blue sanding sugar. Now you've got a red, white and blue strawberry. Arrange on a platter with your sparklers in the middle if you like.

If you're more of a breakfast person why not make some pancakes using a large star for the mold. Add some blueberries to the batter and cook. After cooking you have a blueberry star pancake and top with strawberry or raspberry syrup. Now you have a fun festive 4th of July pancake.

If pancakes are too heavy for breakfast a simple healthy parfait with vanilla yogurt layered with blueberries and strawberries is always beautiful and delicious.


















For dessert - make some sugar cookies either in a star shape, iced and covered with red, white and blue sprinkles or make butter cookies in the shape of a rectangle, covered with royal icing and then decorated with gel colors to make the american flag. The kids would have fun making any of the above with you.

Trying to come up with a 4th of July entree?

I was trying to come up with something different this year and I decided I'd make fish. Of course I love fish and so does my family. So I've decided to take Tilapia, Snapper or whatever light white fish I can find here in the mountains and encrust it with Blue Corn Chips.

I'll either bake it lightly sprayed with non-stick spray or put it on the pit covered in foil to cook.

For the topping I'm going to make a homemade Raspberry Chipotle sauce to go over the top. I'll post the photo after I make it. However, I know Uncle Bob's also makes a great Raspberry Chipotle Sauce that you can heat up and put over the top of the fish as well if you don't feel like making your own.

If fish isn't something that appeals to your family then use this same idea and coat chicken or chicken fingers and use the same Raspberry Chipotle dipping sauce.

Be creative this 4th of July with your menu. Of course don't forget those star ice cube trays to add to any of the beverages you serve.

Have fun coming up with your own ideas or feel free to use any of mine.

Have a safe and festive holiday!