Christmas Tree Pull Apart Protein Bread

Christmas Tree Pull Apart Protein Bread

It’s a pull apart bread with a holiday spin! Baked with our Natural Pounamu Protein Whey Isolate Powder, it is the perfect appetizer for everyone. Stuffed with Mozzarella cheese and covered with garlic butter, it will be a hit with your family and friends this holiday season!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes
Rising time: 2-2.5 hours

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon instant or active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons honey or granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral-flavored oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup Pounamu Natural Protein Whey Isolate or concentrate 
• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour
• Mozzarella or cheddar cheese (enough for 25 1” cubes)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon rosemary 
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan

METHOD:

1. Either in a stand mixer with a dough hook or a large bowl by hand, mix in warm water (water should be very warm to the touch, but not hot), yeast, honey, oil, salt, Pounamu Natural Whey Protein Isolate and 1 cup of flour.
2. Begin mixing either with a wooden spoon or in a stand mixer.
3. Gradually add more flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
4. Begin kneading dough. 4-5 minutes for a stand mixer, 7-9 minutes by hand.
5. After a few minutes of kneading, check the dough. It should be soft and smooth, but also a little sticky. Grab a piece and roll it in your hand; if you can roll it into a ball in your hand (with a little residue), you're good to go. If it gets all over your hands and is very sticky, gradually add more flour and continue kneading.
6. Place the dough in a pre-greased bowl and set aside for 1 - 2 hours with a damp tea towel over the top. Let the dough double in size.
7. While the dough rises, cut your cheese into 25 small squares. You can use mozzarella or parmesan cheese for the filling, or a mixture of the two!
8. Once ready, lightly punch the dough down and place it onto a floured surface, divide into 25 pieces.
9. Flatten each piece into a rectangle about 2” wide and place a piece of cheese in the middle. Wrap the dough around the cheese and pinch it together to create a tightly sealed ball. Repeat this for all 25 pieces.
10. Place balls seam-side down on a baking sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree, lightly touching (they will merge together once the dough has risen).
11. Cover assembled tree with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
12. While letting the dough rest, preheat the oven to 450 degrees and mix egg and water to create the egg wash.
13. Uncover the tree and brush the dough with egg wash. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is golden brown.
14. While bread is in the oven, combine butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme in a pot, melt at a low temperature. (You can also microwave the butter mixture)
15. Once the bread is baked, brush the butter mixture all over your baked tree!
16. Top with grated parmesan and serve immediately!
17. Enjoy!

• Add almost any dipping sauce for extra enjoyment!
• If garlic isn’t your thing, you can omit it from the recipe completely and still enjoy delicious bread!