Since I don't do Turkey..

[GARNAAL]

turkeys - that's the wifes' domain...

so last night I baked a Thanksgiving bread.
currents, raisins, candied fruit and a Almond paste roll filling inside...



and to top it off - a Kahlua icing on it..

[bluetang]

Sounds mighty good AND Kahlua icing! Nice

[buccaneer]

I'd love to try a slice of that !

[superlazy]

Looks really good!!!! Recipe?

[frognot]

That looks mighty dang tasty!

[GARNAAL]

Originally Posted by superlazy

Looks really good!!!! Recipe?

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on Nicole Holten’s website
http://www.thedutchtable.com/

After baking a couple of them over the Holidays, I modified the ingredients a bit.. here goes:

1 cup of golden raisins
1 cup of currents
1 cup of candied fruit peel (orange, lemon, citron)
1/4 cup of orange juice --- (uhh - I used 1 cup of Grappa or Wodka instead…)
1/4 cup of milk, warm
1/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick of butter, melted
2 envelopes of active dry yeast and 1 Tblsp of sugar
1/2 cup of warm water (110-115F)
3 ½ cups of unbleached bread flour ( I used King Arthur)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 can of almond paste (combined with a good handful of finely ground up Almonds to make a more solid roll..)
2 tablespoons of butter, melted to brush after the bake..


2 tablespoons of powdered sugar for dusting the finished bread and garnish with some Candied Cherries for Christmas - or use a Kahlua Icing….

Combine the raisins, currents and the candied fruit and soak (in the orange juice….)
Forget that one – I use Grappa or Stoli Vanilla Wodka instead and soak them overnight…- Set aside.

Mix the milk, the sugar, salt and the melted butter and set aside.

Sprinkle yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water (110-115F), stir to dissolve and add a Tblsp of sugar . (make sure you take a mug big enough because the yeast will get activated and expand into a foamy consistancy); let it rest for a while until it foams and doubles in size.

In a large mixing bowl, place 3 ½ cups of flour. (I always sift the flour to prevent lumps..)
Make a well in the center and pour the yeast mix in and stir (I used the dough hook of our KitchenAid Stand mixer on the #1 setting), then add the milk mix, stir again and add the lemon zest and the eggs. Stir or beat until everything is integrated.
Drain the soaked raisins, currents and candy fruit peel, then fold them into the dough.
(Since it’s Holiday time anyway – pour some of the Grappa/Wodka in a glass and have a sip !!)

Knead the dough carefully until the raisins and candy peel are well distributed and knead on a lightly floured counter for five or six minutes.
( I didn’t – I just used the Stand mixer with the dough hook on the #1 setting for 7 minutes or so until the dough forms a ball and nothing sticks to the side and bottom of the bowl anymore) .

Grease a bowl, place the dough inside, cover with a clean cotton dish towel and rest at room temperature for at least an hour and a half or more until the dough has doubled in size.

On a lightly floured counter gently pound the dough and pat into an oval.
Form the almond paste into a roll almost as long as the dough.
( I mixed the almond paste out of a can, which is quite sugary and soft, with ground up (in a food processor) almonds to get a more solid almond roll..)
Lay the almond roll lenghtwise not quite in the middle of the oval and lift one side of the dough over the paste and close it - a significant shape of the stol is the "pouting" lip of the bread.
Rest the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet or silicone mat. Sprinkle with some flour on top and lightly cover the top with it.
Cover it with the cotton dish towel again and let it rise at room temp for another 45 - 60 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350F.
Bake the bread for 40 minutes on the middle rack, then reduce the heat down to 325F.
Brush with melted butter and bake for another 5 minutes, then brush again and bake for another 5 minutes. If the bread is browning too fast, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.

Cool the bread on a cooling rack. When cooled, dust with powdered sugar on the top, and garnish with some Candied Cherries; or use an Icing to brush on…

Good if sliced – with a thin layer of butter spread on it, and served with a hot cup of coffee in the morning ..

Kahlua Icing

This icing dries hard and shiny and the colors stay bright.

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 teaspoons milk

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Kahlua to taste

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth.

Beat in corn syrup and Kahlua until mixture is smooth and glossy.

If icing is too thick, add more Kahlua.