As a high school senior, Madee McKee helped create the “Sweet and Simple” coffee shop as part of an internship class in the Family and Consumer Sciences Department. The shop featured coffee, pastries, breakfast creations and breads — all to go. 

As she developed recipes for teens, she modified a traditional white bread recipe using a technique she learned in a Baking and Pastry Internship Class. Add a few extra ingredients, and the result was Blueberry Blossom Tree Braids — her entry in the 2021 Virtual National Festival of Breads. The creative sculpture and well-written instructions earned her a spot in the June 9 event as the winner of the Creative Bread Shape category of the Youth Division. 

“With the addition of buttermilk, honey and dark expresso to the ingredient list, it gave my recipe that morning twist of sweet coffee to start my day,” McKee, who lives in Wamego, Kansas, said. “Enjoy!” 

The dough recipe includes KING ARTHUR® All-Purpose Flour and RED STAR® Platinum Yeast. The dough is separated into 18 even rolls, each of which is rolled into a log and twisted together to form a blossom. Each blossom features a dollop of blueberry jam in the center, which the evaluators said gave the design even more visual impact and made the bread even tastier.