Greek Christmas or Easter Bread

• 1 recipe panettone dough (page 163)
• 1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) mastic gum (optional)
• 1/2 cup (2 oz / 56.5 g) chopped toasted walnuts or almonds
• 1 cup (6 oz / 170 g) golden raisins or diced dried apricots, if making Easter bread
• 1 cup (6 oz / 170 g) dried cranberries or any type of raisins, if making Christmas bread
• 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon of water, for egg wash
• Simple syrup (4 oz / 113 g water and 4 oz / 113 g sugar, brought to a simmer), for glaze (optional)

1. Make the panettone dough as directed on page 163, whisking the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and mastic gum into the flour before adding the flour to the dough.
2. Add the nuts and the dried fruit appropriate to the bread youre making, then mix on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment, or by hand, for 1 or 2 minutes to evenly distribute the fruit.
3. If the fruit was soaked overnight, drain off any excess liquid and fold the fruit in by hand.
4. In this case, you may need to add about 3 1/2 tablespoons (1 oz / 28.5 g) of bread flour to compensate for the moisture in the fruit.
5. Use a wet bowl scraper or spatula to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.
6. Firm up and form the dough into a smooth ball by stretching and folding it once, as shown on page 18.
7. For Easter bread, divide the dough into three equal pieces and form them into a braid (see page 97).
8. Traditionally, three hard-boiled eggs, dyed red, are nestled in the braids just before the Easter loaf is baked, but I prefer to add them after the loaf comes out of the oven, so that they retain their bright red color.
9. For Christmas bread, set aside 4 ounces (113 g) of dough, shape the remaining dough into a boule (see page 20), and place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet to proof.
10. Divide the reserved dough into two equal pieces, cover them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.
11. This dough will later be rolled into ropes, which are used to form a cross on top of the bread, alongside the boule.
12. Mist the shaped dough with spray oil and cover loosely, then let the dough rise at room temperature for 90 minutes to 2 hours, until it swells noticeably; the bread will rise further in the oven.
13. You can also refrigerate the dough and bake it anytime during the next 4 days, but the rising time will be quite long.
14. For Christmas bread, roll out the reserved pieces of dough into two 8-inch ropes, and lay them across the loaf to form a cross (apply the cross to the loaf 30 minutes before baking).
15. You can cut a slit 2 inches long at each end of both ropes with a scissors to split them, and curl the ends for a decorative rose cross.
16. Then apply the egg wash. (If you apply the egg wash first, the cross will slide off.)
17. Easter-style braided loaves can also be egg washed just prior to baking, but this is optional.
18. About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 325F (163C).
19. Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 35 minutes.
20. The loaf should be golden brown and have an internal temperature of at least 185F (85C) in the center.
21. For a shinier loaf, brush the top with hot simple syrup or vegetable oil as soon as it comes out of the oven.
22. Cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 60 minutes before slicing or serving.

recipe panettone, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, golden raisins, cranberries, egg, simple syrup

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/greek-christmas-or-easter-bread-381468 (may not work)