Pot O' Gold Bread

Is this totally cute, or what?

I'm trying to get ahead of the game and am starting to do fun St. Patrick's Day stuff before I discover that its March 16th.  I came up with this cute little bread creation on paper and was relying on luck that it would translate well in bread form.  Not too shabby, I think.  Here's how I did it:

Start with a dough ball (I like french bread) and divide it in half.

Set one half to the side for later.  With the remaining half, further divide it into a 2:1 ratio. 

Take the smaller piece and roll it between your hands to form a snake about 8 inches long.

Now twist this around a bit and do your best to form some type of amorphous, amoeba-like form.  Its supposed to be a cloud.

With the other 2/3 chunk of dough, divide it into thirds,

And roll these into snakes about 14 inches long.  Lay them side by side and arrange them with one end of the snakes just under the cloud but coming out of the top.  Bend them into a rainbow.

Don't worry about the other end being perfect.  You're going to cover it up soon, anyway.  If you would like more definition in your rainbow, feel free to take a knife and run it through the curves of the rainbow.  When it rises and bakes it will lose a little definition.

Now grab that other half of the original dough ball.  Divide it into a 2:1 ratio.

Take the smaller one and divide it into several smaller pieces to make your gold.  I got seven.  You can do however many you like.

Arrange the gold pieces on top of the end of the rainbow not connected to the cloud.  Make a nice little mound.

With the remaining dough, divide it into three pieces.  The two smaller pieces should each be about one-fifth the size of the original dough ball and the larger ball should be about three-fifths size.

Use the larger piece to form the "pot" and place it directly beneath the "gold."

One of the remaining dough balls should be rolled into a snake to fit across the top of the pot to form the rim.

The last dough ball should be divided in two.  Form two snakes of equal size and make each with a pointy end.

Gently place the pointy ends under the pot to form the legs of the pot.  Curve them outward to create feet.

Place a piece of cheese cloth or a damp dish towel over this and let rise in a warm, draftless area for 30-60 minutes.



Just before you put it in the oven, brush it with an egg wash to give it a nice shine.  Its gold, after all. 

Now bake it in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, depending on how dark and crispy you like your crust.

The luck o' the Irish be with you!

Too corny?

Ok, then.  Good luck.