Cranberry Knots Food

CRANBERRY-BRIE KNOTS

Steps:

• Brush the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the pizza dough on top. Brush the top of the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature until just about doubled in size, 1 hour.
• Cut off the rind from the sides of the Brie wheel, then cut the Brie into 18 equal-sized cubes. Set aside.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Using floured hands, shape the dough into an 18-by-4-inch-rectangle. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut the dough into eighteen 1-inch-wide strips.
• Shape each strip into a 10-inch-long rope and tie into a knot, tucking the two ends of the rope underneath it. Divide the knots between two baking sheets and let rest until slightly puffed, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
• Cut a small slit in the top of each knot with a sharp paring knife and use your fingers to create a small well. Spoon a heaping 1/4 teaspoon cranberry sauce into each well and top with 1 piece of Brie. Reserve the remaining cranberry sauce for serving.
• Brush the tops of the knots with 4 tablespoons of the butter. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Bake until the cheese is melted, and the dough is fully cooked and turning light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, stir together the remaining cranberry sauce and 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Serve with the knots for dipping.

CRANBERRY BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl for an egg wash. Cut the side rind off the Brie, then cut the Brie into 32 even pieces. Set aside.
• Unfold a puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 13-inch square. Cut into 16 squares. Repeat with the second sheet so you have 32 squares total.
• Top a pastry square with about 1/2 teaspoon cranberry sauce, 1/4 teaspoon walnuts, a piece of Brie and a pinch of thyme.
• Use your finger or a pastry brush to brush the edges of the pastry square with egg wash until lightly coated and tacky. Pinch 2 opposite points together, then pinch the remaining 2 points together so that you have a little package. Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and filling.
• Transfer the pouches to the prepared baking sheets and brush with the remaining egg wash. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

BRAIDED CINNAMON ROLL KNOTS

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, yeast and 1 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
• Combine the milk and 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small saucepan and heat over medium until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and let cool until the milk mixture is about 120 degrees F. Beat in the eggs.
• Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix on medium speed until all the flour is incorporated, about 3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and mix until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Grease a medium bowl with butter and add the ball of dough, flipping to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons butter until well combined and spreadable; set aside.
• Generously flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a 12-by-15-inch rectangle with one of the shorter ends closest to you. Spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough all the way to the edges. Fold the edge closest to you up and over a third of the way, then fold the top edge down to cover it like a letter. Pinch the edges closed to seal in the filling. Flip it over the dough so the seam is on the bottom and roll again into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Working one at a time and starting 1/2 inch in from one end, cut each strip of dough lengthwise into 3 smaller strips so they remained attached at the top. Braid the three strips together, lightly pinch the ends and gently roll the braid into a spiral. Tuck the rolled dough into a nonstick muffin tin with the uncut end at the bottom of the cup and the braided side up. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the tin with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cinnamon rolls, rotating the pan halfway through, until golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire cooling rack.
• Whisk the confectioners' sugar, cream and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth and spread on the rolls while they are still warm.

CRANBERRY NUT SWIRLS

Steps:

• Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture, beating well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour., Combine cranberries, walnuts and orange zest; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-in. square. Combine brown sugar and milk; brush over dough. Sprinkle with cranberry mixture to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, several hours or overnight. , Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on well-greased baking sheets. Bake until edges are light brown, 14-15 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

CRANBERRY BRIE SHEET PAN BISCUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and 2 teaspoons of the salt in a large bowl. Rub 4 tablespoons of the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until completely absorbed. Work the remaining 16 tablespoons butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized bits of butter remain. Use a fork to stir in the buttermilk until the mixture comes together into a shaggy dough. (Don't overmix the dough.)
• Add the Brie, parsley, cranberries, chives and thyme to the bowl and gently mix with lightly floured hands, folding the dough over itself (this is where the flaky layers will form) until the ingredients are just combined.
• Turn the dough out onto the prepared sheet pan and use lightly floured hands to evenly distribute the dough into the pan. Using a paring knife, gently score 24 squares on top of the dough, making sure the knife does not cut through to the bottom of the biscuit. (If baking the biscuits the following day, cover gently with plastic wrap at this point and refrigerate up to 24 hours.)
• Brush the top of the dough with more buttermilk. Bake until the biscuit top is lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then use a paring knife to follow the score marks to cut through the biscuits.
• Meanwhile, mix the honey with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the honey over the warm biscuits. Serve the biscuits warm or at room temperature with more butter, if desired.

CAPPUCCINO KNOTS

Steps:

• Make the knots: Put the melted butter in a bowl. Whisk the granulated sugar and espresso powder in another bowl.
• Butter a 12-cup muffin pan. Divide the dough into 12 pieces; roll each piece into an 8-to-9-inch rope. Dip 1 piece of dough in the butter, letting the excess drip off, then roll in the espresso sugar. Tie the dough into a knot. Place in a muffin cup with one end of the knot facing up. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the knots until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pan.
• Meanwhile, make the glazes: Whisk 1 cup confectioners' sugar and the espresso powder in a medium bowl; add 1/4 cup heavy cream and whisk until smooth, adding more cream if necessary. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream until smooth. Transfer the white glaze to a resealable plastic bag.
• Remove the knots from the pan and dip the tops in the espresso glaze; let set 5 minutes. Snip a small corner of the bag with the white glaze and pipe over the knots.
• Warm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.
• Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.
• Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

CRANBERRY-BRIE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Thaw puffy pastry sheet flat. Cut puff pastry sheet into approximately 3-inch squares and place them into mini muffin tins, pressing them into the shape of the muffin hole. Place a 1-inch slice of brie in the center of each puff pastry and then top it with approximately 1 tablespoon of cranberry sauce.
• Bake 10 minutes or until puff pastry corners are toasted light brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

CRANBERRY, RAISIN & PECAN KNOT

Steps:

• Mix the flour, yeast and salt and 1½ tsp of the caster sugar in a large mixing bowl. Put in the butter and rub it into the flour. Make a dip in the centre of the flour and pour in almost 300ml hand warm (cool rather than hot) water, with a round-bladed knife. Then mix in enough of the remaining water and a bit more if needed, to gather up any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl, until the mixture comes together as a soft, not too sticky, dough. Gather it into a ball with your hands.
• Put the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 mins until it feels smooth and elastic, only adding the minimum of extra flour if necessary to prevent the dough sticking. Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface. Cover with an upturned, clean, large glass bowl and leave for 45 mins-1 hr or until doubled in size and feels light and springy. Timing will depend on the warmth of the room.
• Knock back the dough by gently kneading just 3-4 times. You only want to knock out any large air bubbles, so too much handling now will lose the dough's lightness. Shape into a ball, then cover and leave for 10 mins.
• Shape by flattening the dough into a rectangle, about 28 x 18cm, scatter on the cranberries, raisins and chopped pecans, then roll up tightly from one of the short ends. Roll into a 52cm-long sausage. Tie into a simple knot and lay on a baking parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and leave for 40-45 mins, or until doubled in size.
• Put a roasting tin in the bottom of the oven 20 mins before ready to bake and heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Put the risen bread in the oven, carefully pour about 250ml cold water into the roasting tin (this will hiss and create a burst of steam to give you a crisp crust), then lower the heat to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for 20 mins or until golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. If you tap the underneath of the loaf if should be firm and sound hollow.
• Finish by making a spiced sugar glaze with the remaining caster sugar, cinnamon and 1 tsp hot water. Brush over bread while it is still warm.