A memorable Christmas yeast bread with aromatic cardamom and colourful dried fruit filling, use red and green glace cherries if you can find them. It makes a lovely centre piece for the festive table.
Serves 12
50g butter
160ml full-fat milk
450g strong white plain flour
1 tsp salt
7g sachet easy blend yeast
40g caster sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp ground cardamom
50g butter, softened
50g soft brown sugar
75g glacé cherries, chopped
75g mixed peel
75g dried apricots, chopped
75g sultanas
25g almonds, chopped
1 small egg, beaten
100g icing sugar, sieved
Lemon juice, as required
100g red fondant icing
Edible Christmas leaves and stars
Preparation Time: 45 minutes + 1¾ hours proving time. Cooking Time: 20 minutes
1. Line a large baking sheet or tray with Bake-O-Glide or baking parchment.
2. Place the butter and milk into an AGA Stainless Steel Saucepan and gently heat on the simmering plate, hotplate on simmering setting or induction on medium until the butter is almost melted, do not boil. Put the saucepan to one side to allow the liquid to cool until tepid.
3. Meanwhile, place the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a large bowl or free-standing mixer and stir. When the liquid has cooled to tepid, add to the flour mixture together with the eggs and stir to form a dough.
4. Using the dough hook, knead for 5 minutes on medium speed to make a smooth dough, alternatively if you wish, knead by hand.
5. Leave the dough in the mixer bowl and cover with cling film. Prove near the AGA to rise for about 50-60 minutes, until doubled in size.
6. Make the filling; place the cardamom, butter and brown sugar into a basin, beat together until smooth. Combine the cherries, peel, apricots, sultanas and nuts together in another bowl.
7. Place the risen dough onto a lightly floured work top. Lightly knead and roll out to a rectangle 52cm x 32cm – this takes some perseverance be patient!
8. Spread the butter mixture over the dough and evenly sprinkle over the dried fruit and nuts. Brush one long side with beaten egg. Roll up from the ‘un-egged’ long side, like a Swiss roll, making sure the seam at the end of rolling is stuck well.
9. Roll the sausage shape with the palms of your hand to elongate to around 74cm long. Trim the two ends and use beaten egg to join them together to form a circle.
10. Place the dough ring on the tray. With a sharp pair of scissors cut down into the dough around the ring, about 2.5cm apart, ease the slices out to show the filling. Cover with some oiled cling film and place near the AGA to rise for about 45 minutes.
11. Remove the cling film and brush with beaten egg.
12. Place in the oven CAST IRON OVEN: onto the oven grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven or oven on R6, cook for 10 -15 minutes, until golden, turn the shelf after 8 minutes for perfect browning. Then move to the centre of the baking oven or oven on B4 or shield with a cold plain shelf or foil for about 10 minutes or until the Christmas Wreath is cooked through, it will sound hollow when tapped. FAN OVEN: preheated to R6/180oC/350oF Cook for 10-15 minutes, until golden – turn the shelf after 8 minutes for perfect browning. Then reduce heat to B4/160oC/325oF for about 10 minutes or until the Christmas Wreath is cooked through, it will sound hollow when tapped.
13. Slide onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
14. To decorate; mix the icing sugar with lemon juice, to a consistency you want then drizzle over the wreath. Decorate with red balls of fondant icing and edible stars and leaves.
