I love baking the Christmas bread, from a recipe I invented and have modified for a long time.? The ingredients are organic, as is the butter I use (it’s the only non-vegan ingredient). It is wonderful any time, but I love it best as toast in the morning, with more butter, almond butter and bananas.? Or just plain buttered toast.? Mmmmmm.
I use several kinds of organic flour, filtered water, sea salt, organic sugar, organic soya powder, egg replacer and yeast.? Once the mixer has turned although into a healthy growing mass, I add nuts (pecans or slivered almonds) and dried fruits (blueberries, raisins, golden raisins, cherries, dates) and more flour, and let the mixer do its work one more time.
Then I turn it out on the board and knead it until it is satisfactorily pushing back, let it rest for 20 minutes, turn it into 3 loaves, and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours – usually overnight.? There are 2 batches / 6 loaves in the fridge waiting for morning.? As those batches are baking, I’ll make one more batch – and then I’m done for the season.
It feels right to be finished.? Then I’ll clean up the cutting board for the first time in two weeks, and start on the annual family feast, which will be tomorrow night.
I love the bread making – and I love when it’s finished.? I’ll make Irish soda bread with currants the middle of March for St. Patrick’s Day – which is a very different experience.? But no more Christmas bread until after Thanksgiving in 2013.