Love is Sometimes a Sweet Loaf of Bread . . .

Love Is Sometimes A Sweet Loaf of Bread

Christmas or Easter time needs some kind of sweet bread to offer guests or to be used as a light breakfast. Cinnamon rolls are welcome but I always feel something extra special is needed at these times of the year.

Sweet Holiday Braided Loaf
3 pounds all-purpose flour - you can guestimate on this!
½ cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons ground anise (necessary!)
3 tablespoons yeast
3 cups warm water (not hot, just barely warm to the touch)

Place the flour in a big bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast and one cup water to proof the yeast. Add the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, salt, sesame seeds and anise. Using your hands, gradually work in the flour with the ingredients in the well. Add more water as needed. When a medium-stiff dough is formed, knead on a well-floured surface until smooth and elastic. You don't want a stiff, hard to manage dough or your bread will not be tender.

Form dough into a ball, turn it in a greased bowl to coat the surface, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. This tends to be a very active dough! Punch down and shape. Don't worry! As always, I have a few ideas for shaping your holiday breads.

If you are looking for a basic, slightly sweet bread, take one-fourth of your dough, divide it into three pieces. Shape each piece into a long roll. Pinch the three rolls together at one end and gently form into a braid. Keep it loose and when it is braided, tuck the ends under a bit. You can transfer it from your work surface or work directly on your lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise until doubled and bake in preheated 400 degree oven until deep brown. Remove from sheet and cool slightly before icing. A basic powdered sugar and lemon juice icing is perfect.

Another interesting shape, would be to take a portion of dough, form it into a long roll and then form it into a spiral or snail shell directly on your baking pan.

Regular cinnamon rolls can be made from this dough, too. You can even divide it into bread pans and make loaves of this sweet, holiday treat.

When you aren't interested in icing the bread, you can brush the risen loaves with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds.

My mother was born and raised in Germany. My grandmother took her Christmas baking very seriously as did every other housewife in the town. It was the usual practice to visit from home to home during the holidays to exchange small gifts and to sample each other's baked goods. My mother always enjoyed the critique that followed each visit, as my grandmother tried to figure out what had gone into the goodies offered during the visit.

Because most people in my mother's little town were not well off, they didn't have a sufficient oven in which to bake their traditional Christmas yeast breads. The town baker took care of this task for a nominal charge. His shop was always crowded with everyone's yeast loaves, rising under their bleached white tea towels. Most days, counter space went quickly and laden breadboards soon covered a major portion of the floor space. One Christmas, disaster struck! Frau Schwartz accidentally (or so she said according to my grandmother!) stepped smack in the middle of my grandmother's holiday yeast braid! After exchanging a few dignified words, Frau Schwartz offered one of her loaves which my grandmother, somewhat grudgingly accepted in place of her ruined one. My mother said it provided grandmother with conversation the entire season. Although she did eat Frau Schwartz's Christmas bread, she could never admit that it was even passable!