Holiday Bread Wreath
Family Circles
Issue 69: From Sara Kate
When I was growing up, we had no religion in our house and as I got older I started to ask myself “what the heck is Christmas, anyway?” Sure, the tree was always dazzling and I remember enjoying presents—I vaguely remember something in the early eighties about a sought-after Esprit outfit—but I can’t tell you about many other gifts. The holiday memories that stick out most in my mind are the meals.
On Christmas Eve, we threw a tamale party, and the Christmas morning tradition was always a big spread of scrambled eggs, bratwurst, Mexican hot chocolate, and a braided Christmas bread from the tattered pages of a 1978 Sunset Magazine, a publication my mom kept every issue of for decades. Those breakfasts were gifts enough.
I’ve been making this bread my whole life. (Well, almost, I was three years old when it was published.) And when I say I make it every year, I’m not kidding. My mom made it when I was little, with increasing involvement from me (and then probably decreasing as I became a teen) just as I’ve made it with my daughter her whole life, although less so now that she’s sixteen and other things take precedence. No matter, this thing weaves its way deeper and deeper into our family’s memory each holiday and I expect it will continue to; whether or not she has children, I am certain as she gets older she will re-engage with it and pass it on to someone she cares about.
The original bread recipe included a filling that called for teeth-shattering candied red and green cherries. I skip those in favor of dried cherries or cranberries plumped up with brandy. In my recipe redux here, I also upped the amounts of filling and glaze — the “saucing” as my daughter called it when she was little.
At sixteen, I suspect she won’t volunteer to get the dough going the night before, but I know that when it comes time to twist the strands, a job that requires at least two people, she will add her hands to the effort and continue this cycle of absorbing holiday food traditions from the generations of cooks before her.
Holiday Bread Wreath
Serves 10-12
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 overnight in 1/2 cup brandy or other liqueur
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup 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
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 the 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:
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:
1. When 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 the edge against the rolled 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 drizzle the glaze over the warm wreath. Serve with extra butter if you're feeling decadent.
Note: The wreath can be baked up to 2 days ahead of serving. Do not glaze the wreath; let it 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)