Bread Wreath Recipes

BRAIDED WREATH BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, sugar, butter, 1 egg, orange zest, salt, extract and 1 cup flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down; divide into thirds. Roll each portion into a 20-in. rope. Braid the ropes; shape into a wreath and pinch ends to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes., For glaze, beat egg; lightly brush over dough. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.

BREAD WREATH

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.

HOLIDAY BREAD WREATH

Steps:

• Mix 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, the bread flour, salt, yeast and 2 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105 degrees F to 110 degrees F) in a large bowl with a wooden spoon to make a wet and sticky dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until almost tripled in size, 2 to 3 hours (the top will flatten and begin to sink in the center). Divide the dough in half and transfer one piece to another bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Put a pizza stone or inverted rimmed baking sheet on the highest oven rack and put a broiler pan on the lowest rack; preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, sprinkle each piece with 1/4 cup flour, then shape each into a smooth, taut ball. Cover the bowls loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Put a large piece of parchment paper on a pizza peel or another inverted baking sheet and dust with flour. Using floured hands, pick up a ball of dough and poke your thumbs through the center to make a hole. Place on the parchment, then gently stretch the dough from the center to make a 9-inch-diameter ring with a 5-inch hole in the center. Sprinkle generously with flour. Lay out another sheet of parchment, dust with flour and repeat to shape the other ball of dough into a ring. Let rest, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Holding kitchen shears at a 45 degrees F angle, make deep cuts at 1-to-1 1/2-inch intervals all the way around both dough rings, pulling the cut sections away from the center as you go to make "leaves." Let rest, uncovered, until plump, about 15 more minutes.
• Slide one dough wreath (on the parchment) directly onto the hot stone. Carefully pour 1 cup water into the broiler pan underneath to create steam; quickly shut the oven door. Bake until the bread is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the second dough wreath, adding another cup of water to the broiler pan.

STROMBOLI BREAD WREATH

Steps:

• Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a Bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Add the olive oil to a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and cook the sausage until brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon and allow to cool slightly.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a long oval about 10 inches wide by 18 inches long. Spread 1/2 cup pesto in the middle of the dough, leaving about a 2-inch dough border.
• Add the mortadella, pepperoni, salami and mozzarella to the cooked sausage and toss to combine.
• Scoop the sausage mixture on top of the pesto. Fold both sides of the dough lengthwise around the filling to create a seam along the center of the log. Crimp the seam to seal. Place in the greased Bundt pan seam-side up. Poke holes along the top to release the steam. Bake until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.
• Let rest for 5 minutes. Place a cutting board on top of the Bundt pan and flip the wreath out carefully, then remove the pan.
• Form a sun-dried tomato bow by cutting one sun-dried tomato in half lengthwise. Arrange the remaining 2 sun-dried tomatoes end-to-end, then wrap one of the halves around its center and secure with a toothpick to make the bow. Cut the remaining half lengthwise into 2 pieces and arrange them hanging down from behind the back of the bow, securing with a toothpick.
• Serve the wreath with the remaining pesto in a bowl in the center. Garnish with the sun-dried tomato bow and gaze at the glory of the sausage wreath!

GARLIC-HERB DINNER ROLL WREATH

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.

GARLIC BREAD WREATH

Steps:

• Grease cookie sheet. Spray outside of 6-ounce custard cup with cooking spray; place upside down on center of cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese over flat surface. Roll bread dough in cheese into 24-inch rope. Place rope on cookie sheet and form into circle around custard cup; pinch ends to seal.
• Make cuts in dough at about 1 1/2-inch intervals from the outer edge of the circle, cutting two-thirds of the way through, using kitchen scissors. Lift and turn every other section of dough toward center of the circle. Cover and let rise in warm place 2 to 3 hours or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)
• Heat oven to 350°. Mix oil and garlic; brush over dough. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove custard cup.

BRAIDED EASTER EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
• Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.