Recipe & Instructions available below the fold

HOLIDAY SPICED BREAD
1 teaspoon of whole allspice
1 stick of cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup of warm water
dash of salt
dash of sugar
2 packages of dry yeast
4 3/4 cups of bread flour, divided
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of butter
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon of salt
cooking spray
1 tablespoon of water
1 large egg yolk

Place allspice and cinnamon stick in spice grinder. Grind into a fine powder. Add grated nutmeg. Set aside.

Combine water, dash of salt, dash of sugar, and yeast in large bowl, stirring gently with a whisk. Let this stand for 5 minutes.

Add one level cup of flour to yeast mixture, stirring until well combined. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Place sugar and butter in large bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well before adding the next one. Stir in allspice mixture. Add yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk until well combined. Stir in one teaspoon of salt.

Add 3 1/2 cups of bread flour, 1 cup at a time, until soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky). *If you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer with a dough hook, you can just let that do all the kneading for you. It still takes about 8 minutes. You will know when the dough is done when it forms a ball in the bowl and comes off the hook with no problems (also there will be no more dough along the sides and bottom of the bowl).

Coat large bowl with cooking spray (if you do not have cooking spray, just liberally rub down the sides of the bowl with oil on a paper towel). Place dough in bowl and flip over to coat top of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (dough will double in size)

Coat baking sheet with cooking spray (or again with oil if needed).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 14 inch long rope. Place ropes on baking sheet (DO NOT STRETCH). Pinch one end together to seal. Braid ropes and pinch loose ends to seal. Lightly coat dough with cooking spray (again you can use oil, just pour some on your hands and gently rub the oil onto the dough). Cover and let rise 45 minutes. (dough will double in size)

Combine one tablespoon of water and egg yolk. Brush half of egg wash onto the entire loaf. Let stand for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining egg wash.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

CRANBERRY COMPOUND BUTTER
1 stick of unsalted butter (salted butter is OK, just omit pinch of salt)
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1/4 teaspoon of orange zest
4 tablespoons of THT Cranked Up Cranberry Hot Sauce
pinch of salt (more to taste)
drizzle of olive oil

Place chopped up pieces of butter into food processor. Add the almond extract, orange zest, THT Cranked Up Cranberry Hot Sauce, pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter), and small drizzle of olive oil (to much will make butter too soft). Process until all is combined (mixture will be soft). Place mixture onto parchment paper and shape into desired shape, or if you want to get fancy into a cookie cutter. Wrap butter in plastic wrap and place in coldest part of fridge over night. When ready remove from parchment or cookie cutter, place on pretty plate and serve!

Submitted by:
Jodie Charney
Three Hot Tamales