Holiday Wreath Bread

Courtesy of our friends, Sara Kate and Dana, from the Dynamite Shop, this recipe is the ultimate Christmas morning breakfast.

HOLIDAY BREAD WREATH
Serves 12

Ingredients:
For the dough:

1  (1/4-ounce) packet active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2  cup warm milk

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the cherry-almond filling:

3/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries, soaked in 1/2 cup brandy or other liqueur

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 cup finely chopped blanched almonds

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon almond extract

For the sugar glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 tablespoon ground cardamom

Directions:
Prepare the dough:

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and let it foam up for a minute or two. Blend in the milk, sugar, butter, salt, cardamom, eggs and lemon peel. Stir in two cups of the flour, one cup at a time. Beat for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft, workable dough. You might not need to use all the flour. 

2. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Add more flour if needed to prevent sticking. Place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl large enough to accommodate dough when doubled in size. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Prepare the cranberry-almond filling:

1. Drain the dried fruit from the liqueur and reserve the liqueur for another use. In a small bowl, combine the drained fruit with the remaining filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Shape the dough:

2. When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and turn it out onto a lightly floured board, kneading just enough to release any air bubbles. Roll the dough into a 9x30-inch rectangle. Crumble the filling over the dough to within 1 inch of the edges. Starting along a long side, tightly roll up the dough, pinching edge against the loaf to seal. With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise. Carefully turn the halves so the cut sides are facing up, and then loosely twist the halves around each other, keeping the cut sides up. (See photos above for step-by-step instructions.)

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a non-stick baking mat. Carefully transfer the rope to the baking sheet and shape into a wreath, pinching the ends together to seal. Let it rise, uncovered, in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the wreath until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. While the wreath is baking, stir together the ingredients for the glaze and set aside.

5. When the wreath is done, transfer to a cooling rack by picking up the sides of the parchment and then sliding the parchment out from underneath. Cool for a few minutes then drizzles the glaze over the warm wreath. Serve with extra butter if you're feeling decadent.

Make-Ahead Wreath: The wreath can be baked up to 2 days ahead of time. Do not glaze the loaf — let the wreath cool completely, then wrap tightly in foil and store at room temperature. Re-heat the bread at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, and drizzle with the glaze just before serving.

(Adapted from Sunset Magazine, December 1978)