provided by Haily Larsen

Holiday treats are more than just a family tradition to Haily Larsen. She has made them an art form and now a new local business — HOWIES and CO! Haily’s family makes this yummy Sweet Bread on Thanksgiving morning, and she has continued the tradition now with her husband. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool so they can dig in!

Ingredients: *Makes two loaves 

Bread:

  • 1 ¼ cup whole milk
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 1/3-cup honey
  • 1-tablespoon yeast
  • 4 ½ – 5 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1-teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs

Filling: (for each loaf you will need this, double it or you can make cinnamon rolls with other half of dough or just simply have a small loaf of sweet bread)

  • 1 8oz package cream cheese softened
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Mix together until creamy and smooth
  • 1/3-cup jam of your choice (my favorite is strawberry or raspberry, keep aside do not mix)

Instructions: *Electric mixer or handmade

Place butter and milk in a bowl, microwave for one minute 30 seconds (butter should be soft but not melted after microwave). Add honey to bowl and then sprinkle yeast on top, set aside and let yeast activate for about five minutes.

In mixer place 2 cups of flour, eggs and salt. Pour milk mixture in making sure not to directly hit the eggs (we don’t want to cook them). Blend together with Whisk attachment, when blended switch to dough hook and add remaining 2 cups of flour, slowly add 5th cup of flour if the dough seems to sticky. Mix well. Place dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic like. Place your dough ball in a greased bowl, cover with clean towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise until doubled, the warmer the room is the quicker your dough will rise. This process could take anywhere from one to four hours.

Take dough from bowl and punch down, divide in half and set one half aside. Roll out on lightly floured surface into a rectangle (about 12”-15”) but we don’t want it to thin. Spread cream cheese mix all down the middle and shape it like a dam to hold the jam in, this is easily done with the back of a spoon, fill the dam with jam. Using a pizza cutter, cut 1” strips on each long side of the rectangle. Cut in toward the filling stopping ½” from filling. AT the bottom and top or rectangle, wrap the last strip of dough around the ends to keep the filling from escaping. Start on one end and fold alternate strips at an angle across the filling. Carefully move loaf to a cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly greased. Do not let this rise again; stick it directly into preheated oven.

Bake at 350 for 18-23 minutes (the top will just be lightly golden brown).