Sourdough Christmas Tree Bread
With just a few ingredients, this Sourdough Christmas Tree Bread is a true winner for the holiday season!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup active starter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup avocado or coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 3 1/2-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 egg for an egg wash
- powdered sugar for dusting
Filling ideas:
- Jam, cream cheese, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, honey, chopped nuts, pesto, cheeses, etc.
Instructions
- Combine water, starter, salt, honey, oil and eggs and mix until well combined. Add the flour to the mixture, a cup at a time, allowing the mixture to incorporate the flour each time.
- Continue adding flour (start watching around 3 1/2 cups for it to be done) until the dough cleans the sides of the mixing bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. The dough should not be sticky, but should be elastic and have stretch to it.
- Take the dough out of the bowl and form it into a ball. Place it in a bowl big enough for the dough to double in size. Cover the bowl and let rise somewhere warm, until it is nearly double. If doing a long ferment, refrigerate for 1-3 days and bring to room temperature before continuing.
- Turn the dough onto the counter. Separate it into 2 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a triangular shape.
- Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into a triangle (a ruler isn’t necessary 😀 I just needed it to come out
- Spread fillings all over the bottom triangle. Use more than you think! Some will absorb in the dough so be generous with the filling. Place the second triangle over the top.
- Cut strips all the way up the triangle, leaving a space between the two sides.
- Take each “branch” and twist it several times. Cover the dough tree and let it rise somewhere warm for 2-3 hours, until soft and risen.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Beat one egg and brush it lightly over the tree. Bake for 20-30 minutes, doing another egg wash halfway through the baking time. Bake until golden. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar or icing.