How to Make Bread -
Christmas Bread Recipe

Baking Christmas bread during Christmas holidays is very common in Croatian cuisine.

Since this bread is very rich in nuts, dried fruits and butter, it may take longer to rise than leaner dough (sometimes it may take a several hours to rise properly).

Ingredients:

• 450 g/1 lb plain flour
  
• 20 g/0.7 oz fresh yeast
  
• 125 ml/0.5 cup warm milk
  
• 2 teaspoons sugar and extra 70 g/2.5 oz sugar
  
• 150 g/5.3 oz dried fruits (raisins, dried cranberries, apricots or figs), finely chopped
  
• 70 g/2.5 oz almonds, finely chopped
  
• 3 tbsp rum
  
• 125 g/4.4 oz butter
  
• 1 egg
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
  
• ½ teaspoons cinnamon, grated
  
• 30 g/1 oz butter, melted
  
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl pour milk, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, yeast and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Mix well with a spoon and set aside.

In another bowl, mix dried fruits, almonds and rum.

In a separate bowl, whisk the butter and the remaining 70 g/2.5 oz sugar. Add egg, vanilla extract, the yeast mixture, cinnamon and flour. Blend it until the dough is formed.

Transfer it to a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 90 minutes.

Knead the dough for several minutes then add the dried fruits mixture. Form the dough and place it in a baking pan on a baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 180° C/350° F.

Bake it for about one hour, or until it gets golden.

When done, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with vanilla sugar (optional).

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