(NAPSA)—There is a way home bakers can make Christmas morn- ing even sweeter. Imagine waking to the smell of sweet cinnamon in the air—and for one moment, hav- ing the anticipation of breakfast rival the anticipation of opening presents. That’s the reaction families may have to cinnamon-laced Christmas Tree Bread. This sticky gooey treat resembles a Christmas tree but it’s really 16 pull-apart cinnamon buns. The rich, buttery bread captures classic Christmas flavors, but it also offers bakers one more gift for the holidays: It’s easy to make. The recipe below calls for Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast and a batter method requiring no kneading. It also has a convenient cool rise time so people can make the batter the night before Christmas and popit in the oven before presents are opened. CHRISTMAS TREE BREAD Makes1 tree 4% cupsall-purposeflour % cup sugar 2 envelopes FLEISCHMANN’S Rapid 2 % % % 1 Rise Yeast teaspoonssalt cup milk cup water cup butter or margarine egg, large CinnamonFilling (recipe follows) Powdered Sugar Glaze (recipe follows) Maraschinocherries, optional In a large bowl, combine 14 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and butter until very warm (120 to 130F). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl Cinnamon Christmas Tree Bread is a sweet cinnamon, buttery bread topped with sweetred cherries. occasionally. Add egg and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Remove doughfrom refrigerator. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 18- x 16inch rectangle. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over dough to within ' inch of edges. Fold crosswise in thirds, to enclose filling. Press edges to seal. Cut dough into 16 (1inch) strips. Holding ends of each strip, tie into a knot. On lower third of large greased baking sheet, arrange 5 knots in a row, with edges touching. Build a tree with additional rows of knot—4 knots in second row, 3 knots in third row, 2 knots in fourth row, and one for top of tree. Place remain- ing knot at bottom center of tree to make a trunk. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze; decorate with maraschino cherries, if desired. Cinnamon Filling: In a bowl, cut 2 cup butter into '% cup firmly packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons sugar until crumbly. Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Powdered Sugar Glaze: In a small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk. Stir until smooth. For many more holiday recipes and baking tips, visit the Web site, www.breadworld.com.
