Passion Kneaded: Gingerbread Spice Christmas Tree Bread #BreadBakers

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Gingerbread Spice Christmas Tree Bread #BreadBakers

I am extremely excited about how this bread turned out. I pictured it in my head and went over how I would shape it way too many times. How many layers should I use? How much dough do I need? How would I shape each layer into the same size triangle? Decisions. Decisions. I calculated the area of the circles of star breads I have made in the past then figured out rectangles with the same area. I drew a sketch of what I would do. Who says you don't use maths after you leave school?

Try to work as quickly as possible. You don't want this bread rising too long or it will start to lose its shape. However, even if it does, it will still look great coming out of the oven. Your hard work will not be for naught.

Thanks so much, Felice for hosting this month's Tear & Share Holiday Breads. I was so happy to flex some creative muscles. Scroll down to see some other gorgeous loaves for your holiday table.

Gingerbread Spice Christmas Tree Bread

Ingredients

Dough

330 grams flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

Directions

Mix all the dough ingredients together and knead for about 7 minutes. You want a very soft dough. It should not be too sticky to handle though. If so, sprinkle in some flour, if it is dry, add a tablespoon or so of milk.

Place the dough in a greased bowl and allow to rise until doubled. I prefer to let it rest in the fridge overnight.

When the dough is doubled, mix together all the filling ingredients. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll each into an 11" x 14" rectangle. Using the diagram below as a guide, cut out a triangle that has a base of 11 inches and a height of 14 inches.

Place the unshaded (isosceles) triangle on the parchment paper. Brush with the beaten egg then top with a third of the filling - roughly 3 tablespoons.

Form the two remaining pieces of dough (the shaded areas or right-angled triangles) into a triangle on top of the filling. The 14-inch sides should meet in the middle.

Brush with more egg and sprinkle with another third of filling.

Top this layer of filling with the shaded (right-angle) triangles from the second piece of dough.

Brush with egg again and top with the rest of the filling.

Cover with the second unshaded (isosceles) triangle. You may need to stretch the top piece a bit. But fret not, it will work out in the end.

Gently mark out a center "trunk" for the tree. I started with a one-inch trunk at the bottom and then narrowed that towards the top.

Cut one-inch strips on either side of your trunk. Be sure not to cut your trunk! I placed my ruler in the middle for the one-inch areas and used wooden spoon handles as I narrowed. That ensured I didn't cut too far in.

Twist each strip in the same direction.

Allow the tree to rest for about 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 F.

Brush the dough with the remaining beaten egg.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Celebrate! You made it!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month the Bread Bakers are making Tear & Share Holiday Breads, a theme chosen by Felice from All That's Left Are The Crumbs.