SANTA BREAD AND INJURY

Thank you Vicki Melies  of Elkhorn, Nebraska for submitting this recipe to Taste of Home Best Holiday Recipes of 2010. This magazine, the holiday edition, is my most favorite purchase. I buy one every year, people send in their best recipes so there is not much tweaking needed, usually none. This morning I wanted to start a food tradition, Christmas Eve morning is going to be Santa bread for breakfast and tomorrow will be doughnut holes.

Taste of Home's



Mine



GOLDEN SANTA BREAD Taste of Home

Already dreaming of next year's Santa bread I decided the few modification I would make would be less dough on the hat, and more beard because the one in the magazine had a nice full beard and well, mine as you can see is sparse. The Santa looks like he suffers from trichotillomania. I think some orange zest, and cinnamon and/or nutmeg would be a nice addition to the bread dough and a candied cherry for the mouth.

Ingredients

• 4 to 4-1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 2 eggs
• 2 raisins
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 to 3 drops red food coloring

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Beat in the eggs until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into two portions, one slightly larger than the other.
• Shape the larger portion into an elongated triangle with rounded corners for Santa's head and hat.
• Divide the smaller portion in half. Shape and flatten one half into a beard. Using scissors or a pizza cutter, cut into strips to within 1 in. of top. Position on Santa's face; twist and curl strips if desired.
• Use the remaining dough for the mustache, nose, hat pom-pom and brim. Shape a portion of dough into a mustache; flatten and cut the ends into small strips with scissors. Place above beard. Place a small ball above mustache for nose. Fold tip of hat over and add another ball for pom-pom. Roll out a narrow piece of dough to create a hat brim; position under hat.
• With a scissors, cut two slits for eyes; insert raisins into slits. In separate small bowls, beat egg each yolk. Add red food coloring to one yolk; carefully brush over hat, nose and cheeks. Brush plain yolk over remaining dough.
• Cover loosely with foil. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-12 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf.

As for the injury part, I managed to hurt my foot the other day but catching it on the corner of a wall. How? I am just that talented, no really I am not certain how I managed. I must have swung too wide as I grappled the laundry basket down the hall to the washing machine. It hurts, it is swollen and not having looked at it today I would place bets that it will be bruised. SIGH, graceful I am not