Apple Brittle Braid!

It's Time........

I don't know about the rest of you, but it seems January and February are my "purging" months.....After ALL the food, ALL the gifts, ALL the EVERYTHING, "simple" feels awfully good. The decorations come down right after January 1, and I clean closets and cupboards in my spare time (which drives my hubby to distraction.....but is then followed by admiration and then imitation - LOL!) .

Probably one of the most difficult things to do is to figure out what to do with all the little goodies we've received over the holidays. The fudge, the cookies, the chocolates.......really...... we can (or should)  only eat so much! I tried putting some of it out at the big football party last week, but it still wouldn't all go away. So now, I began to scheme ........."Hmmmmm.......baked goods! I can use some of this in baked goods!" Sure enough, I dreamed up a little something  that would use up those last two "holiday" apples and the rest of the peanut brittle! And when I took it in to our friends at the SBDC, it was a big hit! This was a "two birds with one stone" occasion.......Bird One:  I didn't have to waste those yummy items; Bird Two: I made some wonderful people happy! Things don't get much better than that..... 

I hope you, too, will enjoy this recipe: 

                                              Apple Brittle Braid

Dough: (This is the same dough I use in the Apple-Almond Coffee Ring. It's a very rich, lovely dough. However, this is just 1/2 of the usual recipe) 

2 tsp. Red Star Platinum yeast                                                    

2 Tbsp. warm water

2 Tbsp. sugar                                                                                       

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 Cup sour cream                                                                           

2 1/2 Tbsp. softened butter or margarine

1 eggs                                                                                                  

1 1/3- 1 3/4 Cup all purpose, unbleached flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in EZ DOH bucket . Let rest for 1-2 minutes. Blend in remaining ingredients and EZ DOH-it , adding enough flour to make a smooth, satiny dough. Remove dough from bucket. Spray inner bucket with cooking spray. Replace dough in bucket. Cover and let rise till doubled.  While dough is rising, prepare the filling: 

Filling: 
Combine: 
2 apples, cored, peeling and chopped 
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Reserve: 
1/2 Cup crushed peanut brittle (plus an additional tablespoon or so to sprinkle on the top) 

Glaze: 
1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. milk
dash of vanilla

Remove dough from bucket and on a floured surface, roll it out to a 13x8 inch rectangle. Spread apple mixture down the center third of the rectangle. Top with the crushed brittle. On the sides, make 6-8 cuts, just to the edge of the filling, one inch apart, on an angle. Starting at the top, alternately fold the dough strips over the filling, giving a braid-like appearance. Be sure to slightly overlap the ends. Fold under the ends. Lift carefully onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Let rise 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, or until golden. Let cool. Mix glaze ingredients and drizzle over braid. Sprinkle with remainder of crushed peanut brittle. Enjoy! 

Apple Brittle Braid!