Cheesy Christmas Tree Bread - easy recipe! - A Gouda Life (2024)

FAQs

How do you score sourdough Christmas tree? ›

Use a piece of dental floss or string to mark out a tall triangle that will form the main part of your Christmas Tree. Then, use a large kitchen knife to cut the two sides of the dough away to form the triangle. What is this? Then cut the bottom of the loaf to form the stump of the tree.

Get yourself a styrofoam cone and set it on a serving board, then chop up your chosen meats, cheese, fruits and pickles into uniform bite-sized pieces. Olives and cherry tomatoes also work well. Next, use toothpicks to attach your pieces onto the cone in pretty patterns.

Grab a pack of plastic spoons or forks, and cut off the ends. Decorate them with anything from spray paint to glitter glue for an easy, festive tree you can display every year.

Score directly from the refrigerator - cold dough is much easier to score, and the contrast in temperature will help with the dough rise even higher. Use a specialized tool - even the sharpest bread paring knife won't have an edge that can neatly cut through wet dough.

Make sure to score deep enough, from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch deep, erring on the later. This ensures the score doesn't fuse back together when the dough expands in the oven. Pull the blade towards you while gliding the blade into the surface of the dough and continue to pull the blade through the length of the cut.

A bread lame is a razor encased within a piece of wood. This is the tool that bakers use to score their sourdough loaves. I have a few bread lames that I would recommend from Wiremonkey: UFO Corbeau, Poco, and Arc bread lame. My first purchase was the UFO Corbeau which I love and my second purchase was the Poco.

Directions. The Base: Place the longest board at the bottom and arrange an assortment of crackers and toasted bread slices. The Meats: Place the next longest board above the crackers and top with a selection of prosciutto, mortadella, salami, speck, and lomo. It's a good idea to have extra to replenish as needed.

Store it smartly.

Your tree can be made two to three days before your party. I recommend my favorite food styling tip I learned working in the prep kitchen at Rachael Ray—cover the tree with damp paper towels and then wrap in plastic wrap to prevent the meats and cheeses from drying out.

Take a roll of string and create an even triangle shape on the board, taping each of the 3 corners of the triangle to the board so it stays in place. Use one layer of crackers to create the 1st row in the tree at the bottom of the triangle. Then add sticks of cheese, and a row of purple grapes above that.

Fold the slice in half lengthwise. Starting at one end, roll the meat tightly, creating a spiral shape. Fan out the edges slightly to resemble petals. Place the meat rose on your charcuterie board, and repeat the process until you have the desired number of roses.