Recipe: Braided Tea Loaf [edit]

Step 1

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Scald milk. Pour into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, salt and shortening. Cool until just warm.

Step 2

Stir in 1 cup flour. Mix in dissolved yeast. Add egg and beat hard (egg may be beaten separately and then added to batter).

Step 3

Stir in 1 1/2 cups flour. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of the remaining flour on bread board. Turn dough out on flour and knead, adding more flour as needed to make a soft dough. Knead until dough is soft and satiny, about 5 minutes. Shape into ball.

Step 4

Wash mixing bowl and grease lightly. Press top of dough ball into bowl, then turn dough over. Cover and let rise until double in bulk, about 2 hours. Punch down. Cover and let rest 5 minutes. This dough is the foundation for Braided Tea Loaf.

Step 5

Use Basic Sweet Dough. Roll to one half inch thickness in an oblong 14x9 inch pan. Put on baking sheet. Cut slashes along the long sides 1 inch apart, 3 inches deep. Fill. Lay the slashes in a braid, lightly butter the top. Let rise until double in size. Bake in 375 degree oven 30-40 minutes.

Step 6

Blend together all icing ingredients and frost tea loaf while still warm. This is our families traditional Christmas morning bread.