Holiday Harvest Loaf

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow."

~Melody Beattie

Like many Americans, each year our family gathers for Thanksgiving. This is a big affair including what most would call extended family. The host - usually my aunt - provides the turkey and in the great American tradition of the potluck, everyone else brings all the fixings, side dishes and desserts.

For many years now - more than a decade! - I have volunteered to bring the bread. This is not surprising. I love making bread. In fact, I have been told I should have a bread blog, rather than a cooking blog. Perhaps so.

I don't make rolls or traditional loaves for the feast; but rather I take the opportunity to make an elegant and "fancy" bread that adds to the splendor of the meal. Here's the secret: it is not complicated and is certainly not hard to pull off. Yet the results are worth some accolades and a request for a repeat performance for next year.

Holiday Harvest Loaf

5½ cups all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast
1 Tbs salt
¼ cup olive oil
1¾ cups water
1 beaten egg white
1 Tbs water

Making the dough is a pretty straightforward affair; it is a simple white flour dough. The artistry comes in the presentation.

Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt and yeast and mix well. Add the olive oil and then slowly add the water a little at a time, stirring with a spoon and picking up all the flour mixture.

Add enough of the water to make a soft, pliable dough. You may need to add a little extra water if the dough is too dry.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic - about five to eight minutes. (If you have a Kitchen-Aid, put on the dough hook and let it knead the dough for about five minutes.)

Shape the dough into a ball. Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat all sides of the dough. Cover and let it rest about an hour.

When the dough has about doubled in bulk, punch it down with your fist and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest about 10 minutes.

Here's where the real fun begins!

Take about a quarter of the dough and on a lightly floured surface roll out a rectangle about 16 inches long, 10 inches wide and about ½-inch thick. Use a little bit of flour on the rolling pin to keep it from sticking.

Using a knife, cut out a keyhole shape. You can use a small plate as a guide for the top, round end. Line a baking sheet with parchment and carefully transfer the keyhole to it.

Take three small pieces of dough and roll them into long, thin pieces, about 8 inches long. Spread the strands in front of you and join then at the top end. Braid them together, crossing the left strand over the middle strand to the right and then the right strand over the middle strand to the left.

Carefully raise the round end of the keyhole and place the braid under it, centering it at the bottom of the circle. Press down the keyhole where the braid goes under it to flatten it out.

Hand roll out 20 to 30 pieces about 8 inches long and as thin as you can get them. Brush the bottom of the keyhole with a little water to get the dough tacky and lay out the thin dough strands from the place where the braid goes under the keyhole to the bottom.

When you have completely covered the base of the keyhole with the thin strands, fold in the two ends of the braid over the tops of the strands, crossing one over the other and pressing lightly to seal.

Using the remaining dough, make small, slightly elongated balls. Brush the round portion of the keyhole with a little water to make it tacky and place a row of balls around the outer edge. Continue to add balls to fill in the center.

If you have any leftover dough you can make a mouse with a long tail to add near the bottom of the strands.

Let the dough rest for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brush the Harvest Loaf with a mixture of egg whites and 1 Tbs of water.

Bake for 30 minutes and then lower the temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional  30 minutes until the loaf becomes a rich, golden colour.

Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

This isn't bread that you slice, but rather is best when torn off in pieces and enjoyed in small roll-sized pieces. Perfect for dipping in gravy or just smothered in butter.

Enjoy it. Share it.  As W.J. Cameron said, "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action."