Holiday Bread Wreaths

Beautiful, Easy, Delicious

At a recent women’s retreat, when asked about the most important aspects of the winter holidays, the nearly universal response was “the food!”. Holiday baking is a much loved tradition for many families, and mine is no exception. For many years, the kids and I happily made cookies and cakes, bagels and soft pretzels, and breads both quick and slow. As the kids moved on into their own lives, my holiday baking was mainly for gifting, but the eventual arrival of grandchildren renewed my making and baking. These days, my kitchen is once more cheerfully filled with flour and sprinkles and sticky with dough and frosting.

The children especially enjoy making hands-on edibles from cookies to cinnamon rolls. My own favorites include festive bread wreaths, stuffed with sweet or savory fillings. Beautiful, aromatic, and far easier than they look, the bread wreaths have become popular party and potluck contributions. I’ve learned to work on floured, rimmed baking sheets to minimize the mess and eliminate trying to move a prepped wreath before it’s baked firm. Basically, you make a circle of dough, stuffed with whatever you fancy. Scissor snips every inch or so along the outer edge open up the circle into individual portions to be pulled off informally or sliced with care.

Any Way You Slice It

To make a wreath, you pat out a sheet of dough, add a filling, then roll it up a lot or a little. Tightly rolled dough makes very pretty cinnamon or jam filled spirals, while a twice-over fold works better for tangy fillings of spinach and feta or soft goat cheese and mushrooms. Either way, you shape the stuffed dough into a long snake, about 28-30 inches long and 8-10 inches wide, which bites its own tail. In other words, once spread with filling, roll the dough lengthwise fairly tightly and join into a round, pinching ends firmly together so they don’t fall apart.

Now, with kitchen scissors, make even cuts all around the outer edge, cutting to within one inch of the inner edge. If you make the cuts thin (about 1-inch apart), you can twist every other slice to the inside of the circle for a very pretty look. Wider cuts (up to 2-inches apart) work best with thicker and more complex fillings. As the dough rises, the wreath gets wider, so center the wreath on the baking sheet to leave room for expansion Ready?

Basic Bread Wreath Dough

1-1/4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2-1/4 teaspoons dry yeast
1/4 cup avocado or plain vegetable oil
4-5 cups unbleached flour

In a mixing bowl, combine hot water, sugar, salt, and yeast. Let stand until yeast blooms (about 15 minutes). Stir in oil and enough flour to make a soft dough. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes, then transfer to a floured, rimmed baking sheet. Roll or pat into a long U-shape about 28-30 inches long and 6-7 inches deep. Fill, cut, and bake as directed in the filling recipes.

Scrumptious Stuffings

There are so many ways to go with these lovely creations; add dried fruits, chopped nuts, and flaked coconut to the cinnamon rolls, spread the dough with homemade jam or peanut butter and honey or chocolate chips for sweet treats. Savory wreaths can be filled with pretty much any rich, yummy appetizer spread or dip, from artichoke and cheese to smoked salmon, as long as it’s thick, since runny fillings just make a mess. Here are some good places to start:

Cinnamon Swirl Wreath

1 batch bread wreath dough
1/2 cup avocado or plain vegetable oil
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon each coriander, ginger, and cardamom
1 cup granulated sugar

Working on a floured, rimmed baking sheet, brush rolled out dough, leaving half-inch edges oil-free. Sift dry ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over the oil. Roll dough up lengthwise to make a fairly tightly “snake” and form into a round, pinching ends firmly together. With kitchen scissors, make even cuts all around the outer edge, cutting to within one inch of the inner edge. If you make cuts 1-inch apart, you can twist every other slice to the inside of the circle for a very pretty look. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F until set and golden (40-50 minutes). Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.

Smoked Salmon Filling

8 ounces soft goat cheese at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish (optional)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
4 ounces smoked salmon, skinned and flaked
1 batch bread wreath dough

Mash goat cheese with salt, paprika and dill until well blended, then blend in dill, lemon juice, and horseradish if using. Add green onions and salmon and gently fold until well mixed. On a rimmed, floured baking sheet, prepare dough as above. With a soft spatula, spread salmon mixture over prepared dough, leaving 1/2 inch edges free of spread. Gently roll up dough and join into a round, pressing ends together well. With kitchen scissors, make even cuts 2-inches wide all around the outer edge, cutting to within one inch of the inner edge. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F until set and golden (40-50 minutes). Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.

Spinach And Feta Filling

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 bunch spinach, stemmed and shredded
1 pound firm ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh flat Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
6 ounces dry feta cheese, crumbled
1 batch bread wreath dough

In a wide, shallow pan, combine oil, garlic, onion and salt over medium high heat and cook until soft (6-7 minutes). Add spinach, cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook until wilted (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta with lemon juice, parsley and dill, then fold in crumbled feta cheese. On a rimmed, floured baking sheet, prepare dough as above. With a soft spatula, spread spinach mixture over prepared dough, leaving 1/2 inch edges free of spread. Gently roll up dough and join into a round, pressing ends together well. With kitchen scissors, make even cuts 2-inches wide all around the outer edge, cutting to within one inch of the inner edge. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F until set and golden (40-50 minutes). Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving or serve at room temperature.