Braided Almond Herb Bread Food

DELICIOUS ALMOND BRAIDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Place the almond paste, butter and sugar in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add egg and flour; process until smooth., Place puff pastry sheets onto a greased baking sheet. Spread half of the filling mixture down the center third of 1 pastry sheet. On each side, cut 8 strips about 3-1/2 in. into the center. Starting at 1 end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling., Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely., Combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and almond extract. Drizzle over braids; sprinkle with almonds. Cut into slices to serve.

GARDEN HERB BRAID

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, salt and herbs. In a saucepan, heat the milk, water and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. , Divide dough into thirds. Shape each portion into a 15-in. rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 20 minutes., Bake 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Combine herbs; sprinkle over bread. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

BRAIDED ITALIAN HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, basil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and rosemary in a large bowl.
• Combine milk, water, and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in a microwave until butter melts, about 30 seconds. Pour over the flour mixture; beat until dough is just moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining 3 cups flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface such as a large cutting board or countertop. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into thirds. Shape each piece into a 15-inch rope. Transfer ropes to a greased baking sheet. Braid together. Pinch ends to seal; tuck under the braid. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Brush top of the braid with olive oil and sprinkle with basil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet, or remove to a wire rack.

SWEET BRAIDED EASTER BREAD

Steps:

• Combine milk, oil, salt, orange extract, 2 eggs at room temperature, sugar, orange zest, 4 cups of flour, and yeast in a bread machine, in that order. Set to Dough cycle and start the machine; be sure to peek inside while dough is mixing and add additional flour as needed to create a soft, but not wet, dough.
• Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a rapid simmer and add 4 whole eggs to soft boil. Continue to simmer for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to cool quickly.
• Punch risen dough down and turn onto a floured surface. Divide into 3 even pieces. Roll each piece to form about a 1 1/2-inch thick rope that is 12 inches long. Take the pieces and braid them together, pinching the ends. Loop into a circle and pinch the ends to close. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Align boiled eggs evenly about the braid and push in gently, about 1/3 of the way down. Cover and let rise again, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine remaining room temperature egg, 2 tablespoons water, and anise extract in a bowl for egg wash. Brush braid with the egg wash, being careful not to get any on your boiled eggs or while baking they will have cooked wash on them and won't dye nicely.
• Bake in the preheated oven, switching between another parchment-lined baking sheet every 10 minutes throughout baking time to prevent the bottom from getting too dark, until browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Paint your eggs on the bread with liquid food dye. Be careful not to drip on the bread. Let dry, about 10 minutes. Brush bread with anisette liqueur and let dry before serving, about 5 minutes more.

SWEET ALMOND BREAD

Steps:

• In bread machine pan, place dough ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a floured surface and punch down. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 6-in. circle and place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, for topping, combine butter, sugar, milk, cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until butter is melted. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Make a 1/4-in. depression in the center of each loaf with the tip of a wooden spoon. Brush with butter mixture and sprinkle with almonds. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

GARLIC-HERB BRAID

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and seasonings. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water and cubed butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 4-6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes., Divide dough into thirds. Shape each into a 15-in. rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet, and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes., Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Freeze option: Securely wrap and freeze cooled loaf in heavy-duty foil. To use, thaw at room temperature.

ALMOND BREAKFAST BREAD

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients, except almonds, in a large bowl; beat 2 minutes at medium speed.
• Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.
• Sprinkle each loaf with 1/4 cup almonds.
• Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until test done with toothpick.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely.