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Christmas Tree Bread
 

2/3 cup milk  ½ cup granulated sugar  1 large egg, separated  ¾ cup (4 oz.) diced dried fruit mix  2½ cups all-purpose flour  1 t baking powder  1½ t pumpkin pie spice (or ¾ t ground cinnamon & ¾ t ground cloves)  ½ t salt  1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut to small pieces  granulated sugar  Check to see that one rack is in bottom third of oven and heat oven to 425º F. Measure milk in a 2 cup measure, add sugar and egg yolk, stir to mix well. Stir in dried fruit. Let stand until ready to use. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, spice, and salt. Add butter and cut in with pastry blender or rub in with fingers, until mixture looks like cornmeal. Stir milk mixture and pour over flour mixture. Stir with a fork until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 times. (If very sticky, let stand 3 or 4 minutes or add a little more flour.)  Cut off about one-fourth of the dough. Put remaining dough on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 16 inches long. Using both rolling pin and fingers, pat and roll dough into a flat triangle about 12 inches long and 9 inches wide across the bottom. With scissors, make about ten diagonal cuts down each long side of the triangle, cutting to within about 1 inch of the center, to form branches. Shape a small piece of reserved dough into a trunk at bottom of tree and remaining dough into a "pot." Dough may now be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for a couple of hours or frozen for up to 2 weeks. Bake tree 10 minutes. Beat egg white with a fork until broken up. Brush over hot bread, sprinkle with sugar. Bake 5 to 8 minutes longer, until light brown. With two spatulas, carefully transfer tree to a wire rack. If possible, cool at least 2 hours before serving.

 
 
 

©2001 Leigh Ann Smyth. Duplication is prohibited.