Christmas Bread

Today's post is more of a fun idea than an actual recipe. 

See....you can use pretty much any bread recipe that you want to to make this. If you would like the recipe we used then just click HERE. This is our go-to bread recipe. It is a super soft bread perfect for rolls or loaves. 

Make a few of these loaves for Christmas morning and have colorful red, white, and green toast! 

Or, what we did, cut them into shapes and made cute little finger sandwiches for a Christmas brunch. 

I will outline a few things you can do with this dough but feel free to go crazy. The colors are what make it festive. I used 1 tsp of red food coloring for the red bread, and 1 tsp of green food coloring for the green bread. The red still looked a little pink so you may want to add even more. 

Simply make up your bread dough, divide it into however many sections you want to have colored (ie: I did 3 sections for this bread.) Add the food coloring to the dough and knead until color is evenly distributed. 

If you are using OUR BREAD RECIPE then you will want to add the food coloring BEFORE you let the dough rest for 15 minutes. 

OPTION #1: Roll Up Bread Loaf.

Start with your 3 separate colors.

Roll each color out into a rectangle as long as your bread pan. 

Place the rectangles on top of each other.

Roll up, jelly roll style, and pinch edges to seal. Place in bread pan. (You may have to trim the ends a bit if it doesn't fit.) 

Cover and let bread rise for one hour, until doubled in size. 

When risen - bake at 350 until top is brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

When done, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes in pan. Invert onto wire rack and let cool completely. Slice and serve.

OPTION #2: Braided Bread Load

Start with your 3 colors. 

Stretch each into a rope a little longer than the length of the bread pan you will be using. 

Pinch top of ropes together. Braid the 3 ropes together. Squish the braid so it is not as long and then place into prepared baking pan.

Cover and let rise for about one hour, until doubled in size.

When risen, bake at 350 until top of loaf is browned and it sounds hollow when tapped - about 30 - 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes in pan. 

Remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Slice and serve. (This loaf I used a cookie cutter to cut out rounds to make mini finger sandwiches for a Christmas brunch.)

OPTION #3: Roll Up Buns.

Start with your 3 separate colors.

Roll each color out into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.

Stack rectangles on top of each other.

Roll up, jelly roll style, and pinch edges to seal. 

Slice log into 1 - 2 inch wide slices. Place slices onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cover and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 until tops are brown and sound hollow when tapped, about 30 minutes.

The outsides look fairly ull but once you cut them open the inside is so bright and cheerful!

Sue also made this rainbow bread for a bake sale last month. She divided it into 5 different colors and it turned out so pretty.

Who wouldn't want a sandwich made on rainbow bread?

So, there you have it.

You can go crazy with which ever colors you like. I loved the red, white, and green for Christmas (even though the red is a little pink). 

Use your favorite bread recipe or give ours a try!

 

If you want to see some tasty & crafty links, be sure to visit these great sites -- Feeding Big, The Velvet Moon Baker, Memories By The Mile, Hun...What's For Dinner?, Chef In Training, Our Table For Seven.