Turkey Bread Recipe | Recipe Iseasy Kitchen
Skill Level: Intermediate
Makes: 8 to 10 portions
- Nutrition Facts (per serving, serves 10): Calories: 308; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 47 g; Fiber: 2 g; Sugars: 8 g; Protein: 9 g; Cholesterol: 77 mg; Sodium: 246 mg.
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (includes resting and cooling)
- Hands-On Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- Two 1/4-ounce packets active dry yeast (total 4 1/2 teaspoons)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus extra for serving
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Red gel food coloring
- Yellow gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
- 2 milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it just starts to simmer, then remove from heat and cool to about 115F. Stir in the yeast and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the yeast-milk mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the sugar, melted butter, and 2 eggs; mix until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium-low until a dough forms. Increase to medium-high and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Place dough in a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line an inverted baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the remaining egg to make an egg wash.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into an 11-inch round.
- Head and neck: Cut a 6-inch slit from the top toward the left side, leaving about 1 inch. Pinch a 4-inch strip from the topthis becomes the head and neck. Fold the head over the neck and shape so the neck is thinner and the head is wider and rounder; pull the tip slightly to form a beak.
- Wings, wattle, and feet: From the bottom right edge, slice off a 7 2-inch piece of dough and cut it into six long triangles. Shape four into teardrops for the wattle and wings. For the two remaining triangles, make two short slits at the narrow ends to form toes, then pinch and gently stretch each toe. Reserve these pieces.
- Tail: Using kitchen shears, cut 1-inch-wide strips around the upper two-thirds of the circle toward the center (like sun rays). On each strip, make two small snips to create feather spikes and pinch the ends into points.
- Egg wash and coloring: Brush the head, neck, and main body (but not the tail feathers) with plain egg wash. Divide the remaining egg wash into three bowls and tint one red, one orange, and one yellow with gel food colorings.
- Coloring and assembly: Paint two teardrops red; tuck the narrow end of one under the head as the wattle and reserve the other. Paint the remaining two teardrops orange and yellow, then fan the orange, yellow, and reserved red teardrops as a wing and position at the base of the neck. Coat the feet with yellow egg wash and slide them under the bottom to form feet. Dab the beak area with yellow. For the tail feathers, brush tips yellow, middles orange, and bases red, blending in a curved arc.
- Bake for 1520 minutes until lightly golden and fully baked through. While still warm, press chocolate chips into the head for eyes. Cool on the baking sheet about 10 minutes, then transfer to a platter. Serve warm with extra butter if desired.
Tip: For accurate flour measurement, spoon flour into the measuring cup and level with a knifedo not scoop directly from the bag to avoid compacting too much flour, which can dry out baked goods.
