Cherry Lattice Bread

This is more a pastry than a bread. The fruit filling is placed on a yeast dough rectangle, and the edges of the dough are cut so as to cover the filling in a lattice structure. The presentation is impressive.

Carol makes this bread every Christmas. She got the recipe from neighbor Charlene in 1977, and has been making it ever since. Char's recipe just uses cream cheese and a can of cherry pie filling for the fruit filling. But if you have time and really want to go nuts, try the homemade filling.

For variation, use either butter or cream cheese beneath the filling.

Cherry Lattice Bread

1 c water, warmed
1 T yeast
¼ c sugar
1 t salt
¼ c butter flavored Crisco (melted)
2 to 3 c flour
1 egg, beaten

Frosting:
1 T cherry extract
2 T water
powdered sugar

Filling (homemade):
½ cup butter, very cold or frozen
¼ cup candied cherries, chopped
¼ cup brown sugar
¾ cup pecans, chopped
¾ cup coconut
2 teaspoons cherry extract

Filling (easy):
4 oz cream cheese
1 21-oz (600g) can cherry pie filling

Dissolve yeast in water in large bowl, let stand 10 min.

Add sugar and salt. Add melted shortening and egg. Stir together and start adding flour; mix until dough comes away from sides of bowl.

Knead on floured surface until soft, smooth, and elastic (about 10 minutes).

Shape dough into a ball. Place in greased bowl; turn dough once to grease surface. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (85°F) until double (about 1 hour).

Punch down and roll out on floured surface with rolling pin into a 12" x 20" (30cm x 50cm) rectangle.

Grate cold butter (the firmer the butter is, the better it will grate) down the center 1/3 of rectangle. (If using cream cheese, soften and spread down the center 1/3 of rectangle.)

Spread filling mixture over butter (or cream chese).

Cut slits at an angle, ½" from the filling, on the dry sides of the dough. Next, starting at one end, fold a little dough on the very end up onto the filling and start overlapping strips until reaching the other end. Fold end of dough onto filling and overlap the last 2 strips over end.

Place on greased baking sheet and let rise about 20 minutes.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until brown. Let cool before drizzling frosting over the loaf.

Filling:
Mix all ingredients together (if using homemade recipe) or open a can of store-bought cherry pie filling.

Frosting:
Mix water and cherry extract together. Add enough powdered sugar to the liquid to make a thick glaze that can be drizzled over the finished loaf.

Charlene Jones