Fun! Festive! Delicious! It just screams that Spring has sprung.
Don’t be afraid of yeast! This recipe includes eggs in the dough and can be done in your mixer. It is the perfect bread for the beginning baker and was always in our basics bread class at Roosters.
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Ingredients
- 2 1/4-3/1/4 CUPS FLOUR DIVIDED
- 1/4 CUP SUGAR
- 1 TSP SALT
- 1 PKG ACTIVE DRY YEAST
- 2/3 CUP MILK
- 2 TBS BUTTER
- 2 EACH EGGS ROOM TEMPERATURE
- 1/2 CUP DRIED APRICOTS DICED see Note
- 1/4 CUP SLIVERED ALMONDS
- 1/2 TSP FENNEL SEEDS
- 2 TBS. BUTTER MELTED
- 5 UNCOOKED EGGS DYED
Icing
- 1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR
- BUTTER MELTED
- PASTEL SPRINKLES
Ingredients
Icing
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour with sugar, salt, and yeast. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine milk and 2 TBS butter. Heat over low heat until liquid is warm (butter does not have to melt)...110-120 degrees.
- Using an electric mixer, gradually add this mixture to dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs and about 1/2 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter. Beat at high speed for another 2 minutes, scraping bowl. Stir in enough of remaining flour to make a soft dough.
- Turn out onto lightly floured board or counter. Knead until smooth and elastic...about 8-10 minutes. Place in greased bowl: turn to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk....about 1 hour
- Combine apricot pieces, almonds and fennel seeds. Punch dough down. Turn out onto lightly floured board or counter. Knead fruit into mixture.
- Divide dough in half. Roll each into 24-inch rope. Twist ropes together loosely and form into a ring on baking sheet which is lined with parchment. Tuck uncooked dyed eggs into spaces in the twists. Let rise until doubled in bulk...about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Transfer bread to preheated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool.
Icing:
- Sift or whisk powdered sugar to remove any lumpiness. Add just enough melted butter to create a drizzling consistency.
- Transfer icing to small ziplock plastic bag. Cut off a small piece of a corner of the bag and ice bread. Add sprinkles while icing is still wet.
Recipe Notes
Mary James dishes it out:
- Other dried fruit can be substituted for apricots i.e. cherries or cranberries would work
