Golden Eggnog Holiday Braid Recipes

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, yeast and nutmeg; set aside. In a saucepan, heat eggnog and butter to 120°-130° (the butter does not need to melt); add to flour mixture. Beat on low until moistened; beat on medium for 3 minutes. , Stir in cranberries and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down; divide into thirds. Shape each third into a 16-in. rope. Braid ropes on a greased baking sheet; seal ends. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. , Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine the first 3 glaze ingredients; drizzle over braid. Dust with nutmeg.

Steps:

• 1. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, yeast and nutmeg; set aside. In a saucepan, heat eggnog and butter to 120-130 degrees (the butter doesn't need to melt all the way); add to flour mixture. Beat on low until moistened; beat on medium for 3 minutes. Stir in cranberries and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; kneed until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch dough down; divide into thirds. Shape each third into a 16-inch rope. Braid ropes on a greased baking sheet; seal ends. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden. Immediately remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• 2. Combine the first three glaze ingredients; drizzle over braid. Dust with nutmeg. **commercially prepared eggnog extract

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar and yeast. Stir to dissolve yeast and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes.
• Fit processor with steel blade. Measure flour, butter, salt and nutmeg into work bowl. Process until mixed, about 15 seconds. Add yeast mixture; process until blended, about 10 seconds.
• Turn on processor and very slowly drizzle just enough eggnog through feed tube so dough forms a ball that cleans the sides of the bowl. Process until ball turns around bowl about 25 times. Turn off processor and let dough stand 1 to 2 minutes.
• Turn on processor and gradually drizzle in enough remaining eggnog to make dough soft, smooth and satiny but not sticky. Process until dough turns around bowl about 15 times.
• Let dough stand in work bowl 10 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and shape into ball. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand in warm place (85°F) until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down dough. Let stand 10 minutes. Divide into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into strand 20 inches long. Braid strands together; tuck ends under and pinch to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush with oil and let stand in warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375°F Brush braid with eggnog and sprinkle with sugar or almonds. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove braid from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.
• Makes 1 loaf.