Candy Cane Holiday Bread

By Dglmedia

Ingredients

• 6-1 / 2 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 / 2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons Argo® Baking Powder
• 2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1 / 4 cups buttermilk
• 3 / 4 cup sour cream
• 1 / 2 cup water
• 1 / 2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1 / 2 cups drained and chopped maraschino cherries
• Powdered Sugar Glaze (recipe follows)Maraschino cherries, halved (optional)

Details

Adapted from breadworld.com

Preparation

Step 1

In large bowl, combine 1-1 / 2 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, undissolved yeast, and salt.
Heat buttermilk, sour cream, water, and butter until very warm (120° to 130°F).
Gradually add to flour mixture.
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.
Add eggs and 1 cup flour.
Beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally.
Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 15 x 6-inch rectangle. Transfer to greased baking sheets. Sprinkle chopped maraschino cherries lengthwise over center-third of each rectangle. With sharp knife, make cuts from filling to dough edges at 1 / 2-inch intervals along sides of filling. Alternating sides, fold strips at an angle across filling. Shape into candy canes. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks.
Drizzle with
Powdered Sugar Glaze; decorate with halved maraschino cherries, if desired.

Powdered Sugar Glaze: In small bowl, combine 1- 1 / 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted; 2 to 3 tablespoons milk, and 1 / 4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.