Greek Christmas Bread

Total Time: 1 hr 55 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup dried fig
• 1 teaspoon anise seed
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, cooled
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1/4 teaspoon anise extract
• 1/3 cup golden raisin
• 2 tablespoons honey

Recipe

• 1 make quick yeast dough.
• 2 remove stems and cut figs into quarters. place anise seeds in food processor fitted with steel blade; process 1 minute. add figs, walnuts, sugar, orange zest, and an ise extract; process with on/off pulses until evenly chopped. add raisins and process just until combined.
• 3 roll out dough on lightly floured surface into 18x4-inch rectangle. turn dough so that one long edge faces you. spread filling over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border on each edge. brush edges with water. starting at one long edge, roll up at a slight angle so that one end is tapered and the opposite end is wide. (loaf will be slightly horn-shaped.) place loaf seam side down on unreased baking sheet. twist dough, then starting at wide end as the base, roll dough upward into snail-shaped coil. tuck tapered end into coil.
• 4 cover loaf with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled, 25 minutes.
• 5 heat oven to 400 degrees.
• 6 brush loaf lightly with water. bake 5 minutes. reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake loaf 20 minutes longer. transfer bread to wire rack and let cool slightly.
• 7 brush honey over warm bread. cut into 10 equal slices.