Christmas Wreath Bread

This Christmas Wreath Bread is a buttery multilayer yeast bread and is lightly sweetened. This elegant braided pastry has a flaky golden brown crust while the inside is soft and fluffy.

Christmas Wreath Bread
Christmas Wreath Bread

The Morgan Sisters family history of the Christmas wreath bread

We remember mom always making this sweet bread back in our much younger years. Memories of mom kneading the dough, the smell of wonderful yeast bread baking, the beautiful braided bread covered with Maraschino Cherries and glaze…..

Amazing that a smell or feel of something can bring back memories of warmth and coziness.

Mom used to put a lit candle in the center of the tea ring and surround it with evergreen. This was, and still is, perhaps the most beautiful and striking centerpiece to ever grace the holiday table.

Now, we are not the world’s best bakers, though we do try, and have never made this bread. This year though, we knew we needed to make one with mom!

Yvonne and mom working the dough
Yvonne and mom working the dough

We remember our childhood as we, finally, make our own Christmas wreath bread. There is something special in the moment, watching mom work the dough: it is like traveling back in time to childhoods of the past.

The chaos of this crazy year just melted away as we baked. It is moments like this that matter.

Wrap up and conclusion

We really enjoyed making our Christmas Wreath Bread with mom! It is a time consuming process but so well worth it. This lightly sweetened bread is a superb addition to our Christmas menu. In addition, it pairs well with just a cup of coffee or tea.

The braided bread topped with glaze and cherries makes a stunning centerpiece!

We plan on making this more often and also trying it with chocolate and nuts or fruits…so many ideas. Stay tuned!

Check out our other recipes to try for the holiday season such as our Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake, Tanya’s Chocolate Cheesecake, or Christmas Gingerbread with Splenda!

We hope you make good memories and have a Merry Christmas too!

Drop us a line and say Hi!

Love

The Morgan Sisters

Christmas Wreath Bread

Recipe by yvonneCourse: Dessert, Recipes, bread, Christmas, bake, baking, yeast breadCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: intermediate
Servings

8-10

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

Our Christmas wreath bread is a multilayered yeast bread that is a sweet and buttery with flaky golden brown crust and soft bread layers inside

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 1/2 cup butter

  • 2 packets of yeast

  • 1/4 cup warm water

  • 1 tsp sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 2 cups flour

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

  • 1 egg white, beaten, for egg wash.

  • 2 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar

  • 2-3 tbsp milk

  • maraschino cherries for garnish, if desired.

Directions

  • In a small bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup of warm water. Set aside to start foaming.
  • In a saucepan over med low heat, combine the milk, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup butter. Stir until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Do Not Boil. Set aside to cool.
  • Once the milk mixture is cool, pour into a large mixing bowl, add the yeast mix, egg, and salt. Stir until combined.
  • Slowly add in the 2 cups of flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of the bowl.
  • Turn ball of dough onto a floured surface and knead 7 to 9 times. Place dough into an oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let raise for 1 hour, or until it doubles in size.
  • Roll the dough into a triangle, brush one half with melted butter. Fold the other half over the buttered half. Repeat 2 more times. Pinch the edges to seal in the butter. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Roll out in a triangle and repeat process of butter and folding. Cover and let raise.
  • Roll the dough out into a triangle again. Cut into 6 strips. Crimp the side of the strips shut with flour, again to seal in the butter, making each strip into a rope.
  • Braid 3 pieces together and create a wreath. Repeat with the other 3 pieces. Cover and let raise until doubled in size. Brush with beaten egg white. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Cool on baking racks for an hour.
  • In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and 2 tbsp of milk. If it is too thick, add in more milk until it reaches desired consistency. Drizzle over the wreaths and top with maraschino cherries.
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By yvonne

Hi, my name is Yvonne. I am the other half of the Morgan sisters. We are, believe it or not, twins! Fraternal twins at that. We live in the bountiful Willamette valley where the seasons are mild and the harvests are plentiful. I have a beautiful little red headed daughter named Rochelle.

2 thoughts on “Christmas Wreath Bread”
  1. Oh yummy. I can see me eating this on Christmas morning with coffee . I love how you add some family history. With our world today, precious memories are one thing we need. Keep up the excellent cooking.

Comments are closed.


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