Wednesday Recipes: Cherry Nut Bread
- ChristinaSinisi-Author
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Dear Readers, when you read this, I will be in Europe! I'm creating the blog early in June so I can relax and enjoy our vacation. I hope you are enjoying your summer! God bless, Christina
Cherry Nut Bread
Ingredients for dough:
5 to cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup hot tap water
2 eggs (at room temperature)
Salad oil
Cherry Nut Bread Option:
1 recipe of above dough
3/4 cup cut-up maraschino cherries, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
Sweet Cheese Spread (see below)
Sweet Cheese Spread:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:
Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Stir well to blend. Add softened butter.
Add hot tap water to ingredients in mixer bowl all at once.
Beat with electric mixer at medium speed 2 minutes. Scrape bowl occasionally.
Add eggs and 1 cup more flour. Beat with electric mixer at high speed 1 minute, or until thick and elastic. Scrape bowl occasionally.
*Stir in cherries with wooden spoon.
Gradually stir in just enough remaining flour with wooden spoon to make a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto floured board. Round up into a ball.
Knead 5 to 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap, then a towel.
Let rest 20 minutes on board. Punch down.
Divide and shape as desired (there are more options besides the Cherry Nut one, but I only have so much time;)
When ready to shape, after punching down, divide into half. Roll 1 portion into a 6x20 inch rectangle on lightly buttered board. Cut lengthwise into 5 equal strips.
Shape into a 6x10" rectangle by placing first strip, cut edge down, on greased baking sheet or in a jelly roll pan. Bring one end of strip around to start a second row (by the way, I fully realize my shaping left something to be desired--if you make this and do better--please share a picture!).
Join strips as you go, making rows 10" long. Tuck loose edges under. The completed coffee bread will look like ribbon cream.
Sprinkle with 1/2 cup walnuts. Press together gently to make rows of dough stand up.
Repeat procedures with the remaining dough and walnuts.
Cover baking sheets loosely with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours at moderately cold setting. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator. Uncover.
Let stand 10 minutes while preheating.
Puncture any surface bubble with oiled toothpick just before baking.
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Bake on lower oven rack position for bet results.
Remove from baking sheets immediately. Cool on racks.
Make sweet cheese spread by combining cream cheese and sugar with mixer. Stir until smooth.
Frost when cool with sweet cheese spread. Serve remaining spread on the side.
Makes 2 coffee breads.
NOTE: This recipe came Homemade Bread, Nell B. Nichols (Ed.), Farm Journal, Doubleday & Company, 1969.