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Hefenkranz (Yeast
Wreath)
Several years ago, Brinna Sands received a call from
a woman in a neighboring town whose young son wanted
to do a report on King Arthur. Since she's had a
long interest in matters Arthurian, she was more
than happy to share her accumulated material. Todd
Gunnerson's final presentation was excellent and it
was gratifying to see the story of Arthur spark the
excitement and imagination of another generation.
Glimpses of a world fifteen hundred years in the
past can be as exciting to contemplate as a world
fifteen hundred years in the future.
As thanks, Todd's mother presented us with a loaf of
her mother's Christmas bread, which came from the
edge of the Black Forest.
2 eggs
warm water to make 2 cups
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon or packet active dry yeast
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
5 to 6 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 to 1 cup golden raisins
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water, for wash
sliced almonds for the top
Break the eggs into a 2-cup measure and fill the
balance with water. Pour this mixture into a large
mixing bowl and beat together. Add and stir in the
sugar, the yeast, the dry milk and 3 cups of the
flour. Cover and let this mixture bubble and expand
for 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in the salt, the butter, the lemon rind, the
raisins and 2 more cups of flour. Stir until the
dough begins to pull away from the sides of the
bowl. Put the remaining flour on a kneading surface,
keeping some in reserve, and turn the dough out onto
it.
Knead for 3 to 4 minutes and then give the dough a
rest while you clean and grease (butter or vegetable
oil are fine) your bowl. Continue kneading (notice
the difference in the dough?) for another 3 to 4
minutes. Then put the dough in the bowl, and turn it
over so the top has a thin film of grease on it.
Cover the bowl and let dough rise until it has
doubled (you can stick your finger in it and it
doesn't spring back at you).
Knock the dough down and let it rise again. Because
there are now about twice as many yeast organisms as
there were to begin with (they weren't just making
hot air!), the second rise will be almost twice as
fast as the first. The dough will also have twice as
many little bubbles of carbon dioxide in it, which
will give the loaf a finer texture -- lots of little
holes instead of fewer big ones. This is an
appropriate kind of texture for a festival bread
like this.
After this second rise, knock the dough down, turn
it out onto your kneading board and divide it into 3
pieces. Let the dough rest for a minute or two to
relax the gluten. Begin rolling each piece out like
snakes as far as you can. If the dough becomes
reluctant, let it rest and relax again. You want 3
long strands about 1 inch in diameter, which may
involve several resting periods.
When the strands are the size you want, braid them
together gently and form a circle by weaving the two
ends together as well as you can. Place the wreath
on a large, well-greased baking sheet and let it
rise, covered with a damp cloth, for 45 minutes to
an hour.
Just before you place it in your oven, brush the
surface with the egg wash and sprinkle on a generous
handful of sliced almonds.
Place the wreath in a cold oven, turn the
temperature to 400°F for 15 minutes and down to
350°F for a further 25 to 30 minutes.
After this glorious bread is thoroughly cooled,
place it in an airtight plastic bag and freeze it
until the morning of the day you wish to serve it.
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