Mom's Christmas Braid
·Option: bread maker
Put all the ingredients, except the almonds, nuts and raisins, into the bread maker in the order listed. Warm the milk slightly beforehand, and you can add the butter to it cut into small pieces. Fine cane sugar also works wonderfully.
Choose the setting
Select the dough programme and let the machine mix and rise the dough for you. Or use a stand mixer – I go for the dough setting on my Thermomix.
Option: mixing by hand
If using fresh yeast, first make a starter with lukewarm milk and a little sugar, crumble in the yeast, and wait until bubbles start forming on the surface. Dough mixed by hand should be left to rise for at least an hour.
Braiding
Now it's time to braid. Shape the braid however you're used to, or however you manage without tangling yourself up in it! I braid mine straight onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the braided dough with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm spot for another hour.
Prick with a skewer and brush with egg
After the second hour of rising, you can prick the braid with wooden skewers, just to be safe – it costs nothing and helps the braid hold its shape beautifully. Some people brush the braid with just egg white, others with yolk, but I use a whole egg. Then I sprinkle it with flaked almonds and pop it into the oven.
Baking
Preheat the oven to full heat – for me that's 240°C. Bake at this high temperature for 5 minutes, then lower it to 170–180°C. Continue baking at this temperature for another half hour. If the top looks like it's browning too much, simply cover it with foil.
Skewer test and serving
You'll know the right moment to take the braid out of the oven by doing a skewer test – it should come out clean, with no dough sticking to it. And what should you serve with your Christmas braid? Warm, sweet hot cocoa.
