Festive Bread With Marzipan

Perfect for this time of year when I seem to have extra boys round the table every day. Leftovers are great toasted and if this makes too big a loaf, divide the dough and make two smaller loaves and freeze one. It freezes really well.

Makes one large or two smaller loaves.

Ingredients

500g plain flour

100g caster sugar

3 teaspoons instant yeast

80g butter, melted

4 egg yolks

175mls milk

330g mincemeat / fruit mince

250g marzipan

ICING

110g icing sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Method

Weigh the flour, sugar and yeast into a bowl.

In another bowl, combine the cooled butter, yolks and milk.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and bring together with a fork.

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until quite elastic.

Pop the dough into a floured bowl, cover and place somewhere warm to double in size, takes around 2 hours.

After the dough has risen.

Flour your work surface.

Gently lift the dough and place it on the floured surface, roll out, with a rolling pin, to 70cm by 40cm.

Spread the mincemeat over the dough, leaving a 2cm gap on the nearest long side.

Cut the marzipan into three pieces, roll each piece into a 70cm thin sausage.

Place the first roll of marzipan at the top of the dough lengthwise.

Roll the dough over the marzipan a couple of times and then lay out another piece of marzipan, repeat as before and then lay the final piece of marzipan and roll the entire dough.

Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Gently lift or slide the dough  onto the prepared sheet and shape into a loose spiral, allowing at least 1-2 cm between the doug so it isn’t touching.

Allow to rest, somewhere warm for 90-120 minutes until doubled in size again.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Centigrade and bake for 35 minutes, it will look quite dark due to the sugar content.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool a little on the baking sheet before sliding onto a cooling rack.

Combine the icing ingredients and while the bread is still warm, drizzle over, serve warm, cool or toasted for breakfast.

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