Description
Despite looking intimidating, this wreath bread is easy to make and will impress your eaters with its flavor, too.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 large apple, peeled and chopped into fine pieces
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Activate yeast by adding 1 tsp of sugar and yeast in lukewarm water. Mix roughly and keep aside for a couple of minutes. You want the mixture to become frothy.
- In a large mixing bowl add 2 cups of flour and mix the granulated sugar in it.
- Add chopped apple and mix roughly.
- Make a well in the center and add 1 egg, lightly whisked and melted butter.
- Whisking slowly with a fork in a circular movement add the yeast mixture slowly. Keep mixing till all the dry flour in the bowl comes together as one mass.
- Transfer the wet mixture onto your clean kitchen counter, and sprinkle some of the reserved (1 cup) flour and start kneading. You will have to knead the dough for about 5 to 7 minutes while incorporating the entire cup of flour. You should have a slightly tacky dough after kneading an adding all the flour – but if you feel that the dough is still too sticky then add a couple tbsp more of the flour and knead till fully incorporated.
- Lightly oil a bowl big enough for the dough to rise. Place the dough in the bowl and lightly brush its surface with oil. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and keep in a warm spot for 2 hours or till the dough is double in size. I usually put mine in the microwave without turning it on.
- After the dough rises, transfer it onto the kitchen counter and punch it down lightly to knock out the air. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Keep one part side, covered while you make bread with one part.
- Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon and keep aside.
- Roll out the half into a rectangular shape of about 1/2 inch thickness.
- Smear 2 tbsp of softened butter onto the surface of the rectangle, leaving the edges.
- Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture generously on the dough leaving 1/2 inch on the corners.
- Roll up tightly to form a log, pinch and seal the seam on the long side.
- Leaving about an inch from the top, slit the log in half, lengthwise.
- Braid the two halves of the log and pinch the ends to form a wreath.
- Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and let it rest covered for 30 minutes. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Once the bread has rested for 30 minutes, brush them with an eggwash and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the over and let cool almost completely before serving. Although pretty delicious on its own…a drizzle of some melted chocolate goes really well with this bread.
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Bread