Bread Wreath Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, the rye and bread flours, salt, yeast, and warm water in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. (Dough will be sticky.) Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Refrigerate dough in bowl until cold, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 475 degrees, with a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on rack in top position and a metal baking pan on rack in lowest position. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Knead briefly to incorporate, then form into a smooth ball. Return to bowl, cover with towel, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Invert a cookie sheet, cover with parchment, and dust with all-purpose flour. Place dough in center. Poke a hole in center of dough with your thumbs and stretch it until dough measures 9 inches in diameter and hole measures 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Generously sprinkle with all-purpose flour and let rest, uncovered, 15 minutes. Using kitchen shears, cut 14 deep Vs into top of dough, going almost all of the way through. Pull points of cut Vs away from center to create 14 leaves around wreath. Let rest, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• In one quick motion, slide wreath on parchment onto pizza stone, then pour water into metal baking pan. Bake until bread is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Slide wreath on parchment onto a baking sheet, then slide wreath off parchment onto a wire rack. Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Bread is best eaten same day it is made.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the butter, milk powder, sugar, egg, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 18x12-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and cinnamon to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal., Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. With scissors, cut from outside edge to two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 1-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes., Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Combine confectioners' sugar, water and extract; drizzle over warm bread.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment and sprinkle with a thin layer of cornmeal.
• On a floured work surface, roll out the 3 dough portions into 3 long ropes. Line the 3 ropes up next to each other with the top ends overlapping and the bottom ends about 3 inches apart. Pinch the top ends. Braid the ropes together; pull the left section over to the center, then hold the old center section with your left hand and pull it to the side. Finally, bring the right section over the center. Repeat the process, alternating sides, until the entire length of bread is braided. Join both ends to form a round wreath.
• Transfer the dough wreath to the parchment lined sheet pan. Dust with flour, and cover with a kitchen towel. Let proof in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
• In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, and cheese. Set aside. Beat the egg with the water in a small bowl, and set aside
• Bake the bread wreath in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread from the oven, and brush it with the olive oil mixture. Put it back in the oven, and bake it for an additional 20 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of baking, coat the entire wreath with the egg wash and sprinkle with coarse salt. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Steps:

• Unroll bread dough. Cut into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into an 18 to 20 inch long strip. Braid strips. Join ends to form wreath and place on ungreased baking sheet.
• Combine 1 Tbsp. milk and egg (reserve 1 Tbsp. milk for glaze). Whisk thoroughly. Brush on top of wreath. Sprinkle tinted sugar and cinnamon on top. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place. Let proof until approximately doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake wreath 45 minutes (should sound hollow and be golden brown).
• Mix reserved milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Fill decorating bag or sandwich bag approximately 1/3 full. Snip off end of bag. Starting at inside edge, pipe a continuous line from inside to outside all around wreath. Repeat if necessary until glaze is gone or desired coverage is achieved.
• Divide ready to spread frosting into two bowls. Tint one green and one red. With green: fill bag. Cut bag tip into a point (or use a leaf decorating tip). Pipe clusters of three leaves (base of leaves joined in center, points of leaves facing out) randomly around top of wreath. With red: fill bag. Snip off end. Pipe three small red berries in centers of leaf clusters. Snip off more of bag to make enlarge hole. Pipe a bow where the ends of the bread dough was joined.

Steps:

• For the Garlic-Herb Butter: In a food processor, combine parsley, thyme, garlic, and cheese and pulse until mixture has the texture of a paste. Add butter; pulse until fully combined and mixture has a vivid green color. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; pulse to incorporate. This can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Return to room temperature before using.
• For the Dough: Sprinkle yeast over water in a medium bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Beat egg and add to bowl along with milk, sugar, salt, flour, and butter. Stir until a loose, slightly tacky dough forms (it will firm up when kneaded). Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (Dough can be covered at this point and refrigerated up to 24 hours.)
• To Assemble: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 17-by-10-inch rectangle. Spread garlic-herb butter evenly over surface, all the way to edges. Starting at a long end, roll dough into a tight cylinder, pinching seam to seal. Transfer to baking sheet; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Cut lengthwise through dough down center of log, leaving about 1/2 inch intact at one end; turn cut-sides up. Lift one length up and over the other; repeat with second length. Continue to overlap pieces to form a log. It should be about 22 inches long; if not, stretch it a bit to lengthen. Shape into a 9 1/2-inch-diameter circle, and pinch ends to seal.
• Cover loosely with plastic; let stand until soft and nearly doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Bake wreath until golden brown and baked through (internal temperature of about 200°), 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack about 15 minutes, then slide directly onto rack and let cool completely. Wreath is best enjoyed within 1 day; store tightly wrapped in plastic at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the warm water and yeast; set aside for 5 minutes.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar. Beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add 3 eggs and beat until combined. Stir in the evaporated milk, sour cream, orange peel, cardamom, and salt. Stir in yeast mixture (mixture will look curdled). Stir in as much of the flour as you can with a wooden spoon.
• 3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).
• 4. Shape the dough into a ball. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour).
• 5. Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into six equal portions. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.
• 6. Roll each portion of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into an evenly thick rope that is 22 to 24 inches long. Line up 3 of the ropes, 1 inch apart, on the lightly floured surface. Starting in the middle, braid by bringing left rope underneath center rope; lay it down. Then, bring right rope under new center rope; lay it down. Repeat to end. On the other end, braid by bringing outside ropes alternately over center rope to center. (Braid the ropes loosely so the bread has room to expand.) Join ends of braid to form a wreath. Carefully transfer wreath to a greased baking sheet. Repeat braiding and shaping into a wreath with remaining three ropes for a second wreath. Cover; let rise until almost double in size (45 to 60 minutes).
• 7. Stir together the 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Brush over tops of wreaths. If you like, top with sliced almonds or coarse sugar. Bake in a 375 degrees F oven about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped (if necessary, cover wreaths with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning). Remove from oven. Transfer wreaths to wire racks and let cool. Serve with Cardamom Butter.

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a small bowl, stir together the warm milk, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the yeast. Set aside until frothy, about 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, lemon zest, and remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, eggs, and melted butter. Use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy mass forms.
• Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until it springs back when pressed, 5-10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl and place in a warm spot until the dough is doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto: In a blender, combine the pepitas, basil, Parmesan, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend on medium speed until the ingredients are finely chopped. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated.
• Assemble the wreath: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
• Spread the softened cream cheese across the dough to cover completely. Spread the pesto evenly over the cream cheese. Sprinkle the sun-dried tomatoes over the pesto.
• Starting from a long end, roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam closed. Turn the log seam-side down and use a serrated knife to cut lengthwise into 3 long pieces. Braid the pieces together, then bring the ends together to form a wreath. Carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Brush beaten egg all over the wreath.
• Bake the wreath until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Slice and serve.
• Enjoy!