garden advent dec 14th~

honey beehive bread

6-2/3 cups - all-purpose flour

2 envelopes - instant yeast

1-1/2 teaspoons - salt

1-1/4 cups - water

1/2 cup - honey

1/2 cup - butter or margarine

2 large - eggs

*egg glaze

honey butter

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, honey, and butter until very warm (120 to 130°F). Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 20 equal pieces; roll each piece to 20-inch ropes. Twist 2 ropes together; pinch ends to seal. Repeat with remaining ropes. Invert a 2 1/2-quart ovenproof mixing bowl onto a greased baking sheet. Heavily grease the outside of bowl. Starting at rim of bowl, wrap twists around bowl, pinching ends to join each new twist. Continue wrapping twists until entire bowl is covered. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until puffy, about 30 minutes.

Brush dough with egg glaze. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Shield with foil if necessary, to prevent excessive browning.

Remove from oven; let cool on bowl for 15 minutes. Crumple a large piece of foil, about 2 to 3 feet, into a loose ball with the same diameter and depth of bowl. Place ball on wire rack. Carefully remove hive from bowl; place over ball to complete cooling. Serve with honey butter.

*Egg Glaze: In a small bowl, combine 1 egg, large and 1 Tablespoon water. Stir until well blended.

Honey Butter Ambrosia

1 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup honey

3 sticks butter softened

1 tsp vanilla

In a sauce pan combine sugar, cream and honey. Heat on medium high heat and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Put the softened butter in a blender or food processor, and pour the hot mixture over the butter. Blend on medium speed until mixed well. Add vanilla, and blend again. Pour mixture into a container, cover and let cool in the refrigerator. Keep refrigerated.