Christmas Tree Pull-Apart Bread

                  

This Christmas Tree Pull-apart bread with a cheesy Spinach, caramelized Onions and Corn stuffing is a perfect Christmas Appetizer. Shaped as a tree, this egg-less pull apart bread made with homemade dough is not only delicious but also eye-appealing. Serve it with Homemade Pizza Sauce and it would be a crowd pleasure for sure at your Christmas party. This stuffed pull apart bread is spiced with minced garlic and made using whole wheat flour which makes it a healthy and guilt-free treat

                 

What is Pull-apart Bread ?

Pull Apart-bread is basically a loaf that is already portioned into sections, that you can just pull with your fingers upon baking, rather than slicing it with a knife.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

1st proofing: 1 hour 

2nd proofing 35 minutes

Serves: 2 large Christmas Tree Pull-Apart bread

Ingredients: Measurements used 1 cup = 240 ml

For the Spinach filling:

• 500 grams Spinach
• 1 /2 cup finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped/minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt to taste

For the Bread

• 1 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup semolina/ Suji
• 1/4 cup Cornflour
• 5 tablespoon milk powder
• 3/4 cup Milk 
• 2 teaspoon dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

For Garlic Butter Sauce:

• 3 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh coriander, chopped
• Salt to taste

Other ingredients:

Mozzarella or Pizza cheese 1/2 cup, grated 

Milk butter for brushing (add 1/4 milk to melted 1 teaspoon butter)

                   

Method:

1. In a bowl take 1/2 cup lukewarm milk. Add sugar and dry yeast to it. Stir well and keep aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
2. While our yeast blooms, we will make the garlic butter sauce. For that take 3 teaspoon butter in a small pan and heat on medium flame. Add minced garlic to it and allow to saute for around 30 seconds. add chili flakes, salt and fresh coriander leaves to it and stir fry everything for another 30 seconds. Put off the flame. Allow the sauce to cool down.
3. After 10 minutes, our yeast mixture will turn frothy. If it does not , it means the yeast you are using is old and of no use. Throw away the mix and start again with step 1 using a fresh batch of yeast.
4.  Next, in a mixing bowl take whole wheat flour,semolina, corn flour, milk powder, 3/4th of the garlic butter sauce and salt to taste. Mix everything very well.
5. To this, add the bloomed yeast culture . Mix well and knead the flour. Use warm milk as needed to knead the flour to a soft dough.
6. Remove the dough on to a working surface and knead it for around 15 minutes using heals of your hands by knocking it to and fro, using little butter or oil to get a soft dough. At first the dough will be sticky but as your knead further it will become smooth and shiny.
7.  Tug the dough and keep it in a greased bowl . Cover it with another bowl and keep for proofing for about an hour.
8. While our dough is resting, we will prepare the stuffing. For that, heat butter in a sauce pan. Add minced garlic to it. Saute the garlic for a minute or so. Next, tip in the finely chopped Onion and stir fry until the onions get caramelized. Add corn kernels followed by chopped spinach and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the spinach wilts. Season it with black pepper, chili flakes and salt to taste. Put off the flame when all the moisture has dried up. Remove the mixture on to a plate and allow it to cool down completely.
9. After the first proofing, the dough would be double in size. Punch it and knead it again for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 parts.
10. Roll out 1 dough portion into a sheet of 1/2 inch thickness. Cut it into a Christmas tree shape with a triangular shape at top with a rectangular shape resembling the tree trunk at the bottom using pizza cutter or sharp knife. Refer to the pic or video for clear understanding.
11. Place enough spinach filling over it.
12. Add grated cheese over it. Roll out one more sheet from the dough ball and place it over the stuffed first portion. Press the edges to secure them and then cut out the upper sheet , so that you get a stuffed Christmas tree.
13. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter give parallel horizontal slits sparing the central part of the tree. Refer the pic or video for clear idea. Now twist each part, so that you get a beautiful tree shape.
14. Brush the tree with garlic butter sauce and cover it and keep it in a dark warm place for 2nd proofing, now for 35 minutes.
15. In the last 15 minutes of 2nd proofing, preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius.
16. The dough will further increase in size. Add 1/4 cup milk to melted 1 teaspoon butter. Use this milk to brush the dough before placing it in the preheated oven for baking.
17. Make another tree in the same manner. I have baked one tree in the oven and the other one in a preheated pressure cooker for 25 minutes. Both have turned out to be great.
18. Once the bread is baked, and out of the oven, rub butter over its surface and cover it with a kitchen towel, so that it does not become dry and hard.
19. Serve the cheesy and delicious Christmas tree pull apart bread with homemade Pizza sauce or any dipping sauce or simply with butter or mayonnaise and enjoy with your loved ones ! 

                   

Recipe Notes:

• If the dry yeast does not bloom and your milk does not turn frothy , it means the yeast you are using is old and of no use. Discard the milk yeast mixture and make a fresh culture with new batch of yeast.
• Another important factor to be kept in mind while using dry yeast is the temperature of milk. Always add dry yeast to the lukewarm milk. If the milk is hot it will kill the yeast culture. If it is cool, the yeast will not bloom.
• You can totally skip the garlic butter sauce and simply add about 1/4 cup oil to the flour while kneading the dough instead.
• You can use pesto sauce instead of spinach and corn stuffing.

Would love to hear from you !

I hope you would love trying out this healthy and delicious Christmas Tree Pull-apart bread. If you do so, feel free to share your feedback with us in the form of likes and comments in the section below this post.

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See you soon with yet another healthy and delicious creation from my Kitchen. Until then Stay safe and eat right !

 

Happy Cooking !

Happy Eating !

 

Regards

Poonam Bachhav 

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