COOKING: Almond Bread

I love Christmas baking. It reminds me of my late mother and happy childhood memories of preparing the "Christmas Biscuits" prior to Santa coming. For my brother, sister and I - it was the beginning of the big school break (Yay!) and always a task we did together as a family. Well - except for my father - he didn't do "kitchen stuff".

As for me - my weakness is Almond Bread. I love how it is thin and crisp and just tastes so good. My first attempts at it were an absolute flop.... enough to scare me off for years before trying agin. Now I have found the PERFECT recipe - which is almost foolproof. I say almost - as I did make an error one year and it turned out much harder than it should be. I now know that when baking the loaves initially, it is better to over cook rather than undercook them.

For the recipe (it is on Food.com) CLICK HERE TO THE LINK.

Grease and line two loaf tins. NB: I've doubled the recipe.

Separate the eggs and start your mixer.

Once the egg whites are thick, then rain in the sugar and make sure the sugar is all dissolved.

Have your flour and almonds ready.

Drop them in and fold to combine.

Make sure you have no flour pockets.

Place mixture into loaf tin/s. I added some dried cranberries to the second loaf for extra festive cheer.

Bake at 160C or 325F for 40 - 50 minutes. Mine took closer to 60. Make sure skewer comes out clean.

Wrap in foil and leave in fridge for 1-2 days. Find your sharpest (I like a serrated knife for this) knife.

Slice as thin as you can while still getting the "whole" slice.

Place onto lined trays and place in a slow oven 120C or 250F for about 45 minutes, until dried out.

Cool completely before storing in airtight containers. Will keep for 3-4 months. I package it into little cellophane bags and tie them with curling ribbon to give as gifts.

A sight for sore eyes!!