Bread Baking: Festive Fruit and Nuts Wreath

This recipe was a request from my own mother. She wanted to make a fruity bread recipe for her friends to give them for Christmas. But she wasn't sure how to go about it. So she asked me to make a tutorial for her to follow. Sure, Mom. I've got your back.

Festive Fruit and Nuts Wreath:
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) warm water
1/3 cup (90 ml) butter, softened
1/3 cup (80 ml) powdered milk
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
about 5 cups (625 g) flour
2 tbsp (30 ml) butter, melted
1 cup (100 g) chopped nuts
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (100 g) pistachios or other nuts
1 cup (150 g) raisins
1 cup (150 g) cranberries
1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar

In a bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. 

Add the butter, powdered milk, sugar, egg, salt and flour. Stir everything together until you can't anymore. Then knead it until mixture forms a soft dough.

Cover and allow the dough to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour).

While the dough is rising, chop the fruit and nuts into small pieces. We don't want anyone to choke on a peanut.

Punch the dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle. Brush with the melted butter.

Sprinkle with the chopped nuts, cinnamon, dried fruit mix to close to the edges.

Roll up like a Swiss roll, starting with a long side. Pinch seam to seal.

Place the roll seam side down on a greased baking sheet and bring the ends together to form a ring. Pinch the ends together to seal.

Using scissors, make small cuts from the outside edge to make the wreath effect.

Open up the strips slightly twisting each strip to allow the filling to show. Cover and allow the bread to rise until doubled (about 45 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190 °C. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Brush with butter while still warm and dust with powdered sugar.

Now, let's be honest. This is a beast. It turned out huge. It would probably feed 15 people. So, if you want a smaller wreath that you can gift to friends, I would recommend splitting the bread dough into at least 4 pieces before you roll it out and fill it with a quarter of the filling at a time. Bake the same way.

But this bread is so full of flavor.

It's not overly sweet, but still tastes of cinnamon and fruit.

Lovely and festive. So fun.

Watch us make this lovely wreath bread on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QvvY2uYdqAY
Schaut zu wie wir diese schöne Kranzbrot auf YouTube machen hier: https://youtu.be/pn5mBdGz2ao