I love to get creative with my holiday bakes and this Christmas Bread Wreath recipe is a novel take on the traditional Christmas wreath. An essential part of my Christmas decorating involves hanging a wreath on my front door. Christmas wreaths are usually made from evergreens as they tend to last through the harshest winter conditions.
These bread wreaths are made from intertwined pieces of dough with layers of cinnamon and sugar. I bake half an apple in each wreath. I find that organic red delicious ones are the perfect size for each Christmas bread wreath, but you can use any apple which is about 2 ½ inches across.
To make Christmas Bread Wreath, you will need the following ingredients:So, how to make Christmas Bread Wreath?
Place the yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix well and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add the water, apple juice, vanilla extract, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt to the yeast mixture and bring together by mixing with the dough hook.
Divide the butter in three parts and add ⅓ at a time. Mix well after each addition. Continue mixing until the dough forms a smooth solid ball of dough around the dough hook. This should take about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and allow it to rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature.
Knead the dough for 2 minutes and divide it in three parts. Shape each piece into a rectangular shape. Wrap in plastic and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Beat the butter, brown sugar, flour, egg, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract together in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment at medium-low speed until smooth. Cover and set aside.
Roll one of the pieces of dough out into a 22 x 8 inch rectangle. Spread ⅓ of the cinnamon sugar filling over it and roll it up along the longest edge. Cover each roll in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough.
Roll out each of the dough rolls on a flat floured work surface. When they reach 28 inches in length, cut them in half vertically and cut it again horizontally.
Twist two pieces of dough together and pinch the ends. Bring the ends together to form a circle. Pinch the ends together and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat this process until all the dough is used. You will need more than one baking sheet as these wreaths will expand as they bake.
Place a greased piece of plastic wrap over each baking sheet and set them aside to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Place an apple half in the center of each dough wreath. Do this by lifting the wreath gently and pushing the apple into place from below. Once the apple is in, you can push a wet toothpick into the apple as well as the pinched pastry ends to secure it in place.
Lightly brush the dough with egg wash and bake the wreaths in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Remove the toothpicks and serve warm.
These Christmas Bread Wreath are a truly unique Christmas treat! Enjoy your friends reactions when they try them! Make these wreaths this Christmas and make sure you tag any baking photos with #cookmerecipes.
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