Candied Lemon Christmas Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Mix water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon sugar together in a small bowl until yeast is raised and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Cream butter and 1 cup sugar together in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Pour in warm milk and add yeast mixture, eggs, and salt; mix together. Mix in flour until just incorporated; do not knead dough.
• Move dough to a large bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down and let rise for another 45 minutes.
• While dough is rising, heat milk for pastry filling in a medium saucepan until warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in 3 tablespoons flour gradually. Beat egg yolk in a separate bowl and add a little of the warm milk mixture to temper it; whisk yolk mixture into milk mixture. Mix in sugar and salt. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.
• Let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Cover the top with plastic wrap, touching the filling, to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make almond filling by mixing butter, sugar, and almond extract together in a bowl until blended. Set aside.
• Make nut crumb filling by crumbling flour, sugar, walnuts, and butter together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Divide the dough and fillings in 1/2 for 2 loaves. Set aside a small amount of nut filling to sprinkle on top of loaves.
• Roll out 1/2 of the dough onto 1 of the prepared pans into a rectangle that fills the pan. Spread cream filling lengthwise down the middle 1/3 of the dough, leaving about 1 inch free on each short end. Sprinkle almond filling on top of cream, followed by nut crumb filling.
• Make diagonal cuts into the dough on either side of the filling down each side, about 2 inches apart; don't cut too close to filling or it will leak out. Fold dough strips across the top of the filling, alternating each side, to make a braid. Tuck the 2 short ends into the braid to prevent leaking. Brush with reserved egg white and sprinkle with 1/2 of the reserved nut crumb filling. Repeat for second loaf.
• Bake loaves in the preheated oven until golden, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the evaporated milk, sugar, shortening, salt, eggs and 2 cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in mixed candied fruit and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (do not knead). , Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/4 hours. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 3-4 minutes. Pat evenly into a greased 10-in. tube pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes. , Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack. , Combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency; drizzle over bread. Garnish with additional candied fruit if desired.

Steps:

• For the candied lemon: Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the lemon slices and simmer until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to drain. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Finely chop the candied lemon slices. Set aside.
• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a nonstick Bundt pan with vegetable spray.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, slowly add the buttermilk and the vanilla. Stop the mixer, add the lemon zest and juice, and mix to incorporate. With the mixer on low, add the flour, one cup at a time, until combined. Finally, add the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Raise to medium speed and mix for 1 minute, until the batter is fluffy and smooth. Mix in the chopped candied lemons. With a spatula or wooden spoon, transfer the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth out the top. Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden and a cake tester comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before turning it out onto a plate.
• For the glaze: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once bubbles have formed around the edges of the cream, pour it over the chocolate. Whisk the cream and chocolate together until smooth. Pour the glaze over the Bundt cake, using a spatula or spoon to push the glaze down the sides and center of the cake.

Steps:

• Grease an 8x5-inch loaf tin thoroughly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk and melted butter; mix well.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, prepared fruits and nuts, and mix well. Add egg mixture to fruit and nut mixture, stirring just enough to blend. Pour batter into the greased loaf tin. Let stand for 20 minutes.
• Place pan in center of oven on middle rack. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Turn out on wire rack, and allow to cool for several hours before slicing.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 3 cups flour and yeast. In a saucepan, heat milk, sugar, butter and salt to 120°-130°; add to flour mixture. Add egg. Beat on low speed with electric mixture for 30 seconds; increase speed to medium and continue beating for 3 minutes. Stir in raisins, candied fruit, nuts an enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours. Divide dough in thirds, then divide each into thirds again. Roll each piece into a 15-in. rope. Place 3 ropes 1 in. apart on greased baking sheet. Begin braiding loosely in the middle and work toward the ends. Pinch ends together and tuck under. Repeat with remaining ropes. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30-40 minutes. Combine egg yolk and water; brush over braids. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until browned. Cool on wire racks.

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, cut lemon into 12 paper-thin slices; discard seeds and ends of rind.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, and add lemon slices; stir until softened, about 1 minute. Drain, and immediately plunge slices into ice-water bath. Drain.
• Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium skillet, swirling to dissolve sugar. When liquid is clear and bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low. Add lemon slices, arranging them in one layer with tongs. Simmer (do not let boil) until rinds are translucent, about 1 hour.
• Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Let stand until ready to serve. Lemon slices can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.