Christmas Bread

Here is a repost from December 2008. Many of you have asked for the Christmas Bread Recipe.

Happy St. Lucia Day!

I'm sure many of you are saying, "Happy what?" Also known as St. Lucy's Day, December 13th was a Church feast day together with Advent, marking the beginning of the Christmas season. Before the reform of the Gregorian calendar, it also marked the longest night of the year. This is probably the reason why the tradition has lived on in the Scandinavian countries, since the nights in the winter are very dark and long and the idea of light overcoming darkness is appealing.

The meaning of Lucy or Lucia is "light" stemming from the Latin-"lux." In one of the stories associated with her legend, she was working to help Christians hiding in the catacombs. In order to bring with her as much food and drink as possible, she needed to have her hands free. She solved this problem by making a wreath to wear on her head on to which she attached lights. Thus she managed to see in the darkness of the catacombs.

As the tradition goes, the eldest daughter of the family dresses in white and wears a candle wreath while serving a sweet roll and coffee to her parents. Now, for some reason in my family, it was the 2nd daughter. I think Candace served it one year in a white dress with the actual candle wreath, although not lit. Our family typically makes this bread (which we call Christmas Bread) for gifts to family friends and then we also have a loaf for Christmas morning.

This is not really a hard bread to make, but it is quite involved making many dishes dirty and 2 risings. Today I delivered my last batch. That was 16 loaves and I still need to make one for our family to enjoy.

Even if this day has roots in pagan celebrations of the solstice, think again. As you see light this Christmas season, may you remember that it is Jesus that comes to overcome the darkness and illuminate us.

"The light shines in the darkeness and the darkness can never overcome it." John 1:5.

Here is the recipe:


Bread
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. warm water
5 t. of yeast
2 eggs
4 c. flour

Filling
2-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 egg

Icing
4 T. butter
2 T. milk (maybe more for consistency)
2 t. vanilla
4 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter in the microwave. Add sour cream, sugar and salt to it and stir to luke warm. In a large bowl sprinkle yeast over water and dissolve. Mix in sour cream mixture. Add 2 eggs and flour. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. Or, let rise 1 hour on counter.

Divide dough into quarters, thirds or half depending upon how big you want it. Roll into a rectangle. Spread filling being careful not to get too close to the edges or it will ooze out. Roll into a loaf or a circle, pinch and rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. Cool and ice.

This recipe can make up to 4 loaves.

Christmas Bread

Our annual Christmas gift to our very closests friends and the office is Christmas Bread. It is a labor of love, but one that is well worth it. We mixed up 3 batches today for our Advent activity and will finish baking them tomorrow. If you want to try your own hand at it, check out my recipe here.

Wordful Wednesday and the Night Before the Night Before Chirstmas

For all of you Wordful Wednesday Folks, here's what you are looking for. You've heard of Princess Lea...we'll our's is Christmas Lea. We had quite a bit of fun with the bows.

Unicorn

Rudolph Nose

Triple Do

For the rest of you, here's what is happening at the Hill house.

Yesterday afternoon, Stephen's parents came in. We enjoyed spending the afternoon with them and we went out for dinner. Afterwards we came home dancing to Christmas music and we decided to go ahead and have two Christmas Eves/Mornings. We went ahead and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and had birthday cake.







This morning we got up and ate Christmas Bread and opened presents from Grandmama and Grandaddy. We were overhelmed with blessings from them. Truly. But, as you can see the bows and the boxes were fun too. Cavett got a Hot Wheels Stunt set, a pirate Lego set, a cool scanimation book and a Flo's VB Cafe from the movie Cars. Kendrick got a fun Farm Book and a Plasma Car. In our PJ's, we all enjoyed their toys all morning long. Grandmama and Grandaddy left just after lunch and Dad has now gone to the office to get Cavett's final gift.













Tonight's activities will be much the same as last nights, except that after birthday cake and a reading of the Bible Christmas story we will head to church for the Youth Choir's singing of Vivaldi's Gloria during the 8:00 candlelight service. I will be singing with them. When we get home, Cavett gets to scatter the "reindeer food" (that he made at school) all over the yard and we will tuck them quickly in bed.


Seriously, I am way excited about tomorrow.

Happy St. Lucia Day!

I'm sure you are saying "Happy what???" Also known as St. Lucy's Day, it was a Church feast day together with Advent, marking the beginning of the Christmas season. Before the reform of the Gregorian calendar, it also marked the longest night of the year. This is probably the reason why the tradition has lived on in the Scandinavian countries, since the nights in the winter are very dark and long and the idea of light overcoming darkness is appealing.

The meaning of Lucy or Lucia is "light" stemming from the Latin-"lux." In one of the stories associated with her legend, she was working to help Christians hiding in the catacombs. In order to bring with her as much food and drink as possible, she needed to have her hands free. She solved this problem by making a wreath to wear on her head on to which she attached lights. Thus she managed to see in the darkness of the catacombs.

As the tradition goes, the eldest daughter of the family dresses in white and wears a candle wreath while serving a sweet roll and coffee to her parents. Now, for some reason in my family, it was the 2nd daughter. I think Candace served it one year in a white dress with the actual candle wreath, although not lit. Our family typically makes this bread (which we call Christmas Bread) for gifts to family friends and then we also have a loaf for Christmas morning.

This is not really a hard bread to make, but it is quite involved making many dishes dirty and 2 risings. Today I delivered my last batch. That was 16 loaves and I still need to make one for our family to enjoy.

Even if this day has roots in pagan celebrations of the solstice, think again. As you see light this Christmas season, may you remember that it is Jesus that comes to overcome the darkness and illuminate us.