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Christmas Tree Pull Apart Bread

Add a zing to your Christmas celebrations with this beautiful looking bread.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine Baked
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Proofing Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Samira

Ingredients

My 1 Cup measures 240 ml

ForThe Bread

  • 1 Cup (130 g) Wheat Flour
  • 1 Cup (140 g) Fine Semolina
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 3/4 tsp Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
  • 1 Cup Lukewarm Water
  • 1 Tbsp Oil
  • 1 Tbsp Milk, For Brushing Before Baking
  • 1 Tbsp Butter, For Brushing After Baking

For Spinach Filling

  • 500 g Spinach
  • 1/4 Cup Corn Kernels
  • 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise or White Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Crushed Garlic
  • 100 g Pizza Cheese

Instructions

For The Bread

  1. Take wheat flour, semolina, salt, instant yeast, and brown sugar in a big bowl and whisk nicely.

  2. Knead it with lukewarm water. Having lukewarm water is very important. It should be such wherein you can put your fingers comfortably.Too hot water will kill the yeast and if not warm then yeast will not activate.

  3. Add oil and continue kneading. Put the dough on your kitchen counter and knead for another 4 to 5 minutes. Stretch the dough using the heel of your hands, fold it, then again stretch. Soon the dough will be smooth and shiny.

  4. Grease the bowl liberally, put the dough in it, invert the dough so that the top also gets oily. Cover it with a plate or lid and let it rise for an hour or so till doubles in volume. Time is just a rough guide and will depend on the weather. If too cold then it may take even longer. So, instead of time, watch your dough. 

  5. When the dough has risen, punch it to release the gases. Knead it lightly for few seconds.
    .Divide it into 2 parts. Keep one part covered in the refrigerator and work with the other.

  6. Sprinkle dry flour on the kitchen platform and roll the other part.

  7. Turn it into a rectangle by removing the uneven edges.

  8. Now, cut a triangle from the centre, as shown in the detailed recipe with pics.

  9. Take the remaining triangles on either side and combine to give another triangle.
  10. Sprinkle semolina on the baking tray or use parchment paper. Keep one triangle on the baking tray.

  11. Attach a little dough at the bottom representing the trunk of the tree.

  12. Spread the filling.

  13. Cover with another triangle.
  14. Make 2 straight slits in the centre. Just a slit and not cuts as we want the traingles combined only.
  15. Now, starting from any one side, make horizontal cuts, from the centre to the edge and twist it once or twice (depending upon its length) so that spinach shows up randomly.
  16. Similarly, do it on the other side too.
  17. Once your tree is ready, cover it with a cloth and leave for 20 to 30 minutes for second proofing.
  18. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes.
  19. Brush the dough shaped tree with milk and bake for 20 to 22 minutes till golden brown.
  20. Take it out, very carefully place it on wire rack. Brush with butter.
  21. Serve with love. If making it ahead of serving time then cover the brad with a damp cloth after brushing the butter. This keeps the bread soft.

For The Filling

  1. Chop spinach finely after washing it thoroughly.
  2. In a wok, add oil, saute crushed garlic and then add chopped spinach.
  3. Cook it on high flame till it becomes dry and all the moisture evaporates. Keep the flame high only and keep tossing in between.
  4. Add boiled corn kernels, though optional. Add salt and pepper.
  5. Add mayonnaise or white sauce to give it a dip like consistency. Keep the consistency thick only as we have to sandwich it between two triangles.

Recipe Notes

  1. Use warm water only for kneading otherwise the yeast will not activate and consequently, your dough will not rise.
  2. To replace instant yeast with active dry yeast, use 2/3 tsp. As 1 TSP INSTANT YEAST   =  1.25  TSP ACTIVE DRY YEAST.
  3. Rising time depends on the quantity of yeast and on the weather conditions. During summers it may rise in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Whereas in winters it may take even up to  2 hours.
  4. When dividing the dough into 2 parts, it’s better to roll a log and cut with pizza cutter. Do not tear it with hands as it may destroy the gluten developed during rising. If you want to use just half the dough, then after deflating and dividing,  pack the remaining half in cling film, place it in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator up to 24 hours.
  5. Fine semolina, also known as Chiroti Rawa, works best for this recipe. If you do not have this then grind the normal semolina in grinder for a minute or so and your fine semolina will be ready.
  6. We need 2 triangles more or less of the same size for making 1 christmas bread. So tear off excess dough.
  7. Spreading Semolina on the baking tray facilitates lifting of the bread.
  8. White sauce can be made using wheat flour.