CHRISTMAS WREATH (WEIHNACHTSKRANZ)
Makes 1 large wreath, serves 8-10 Preparation time 35-40 minutes, plus kneading and rising Cooking time About 25 minutes
“This might well be the prettiest thing to have come out of our kitchen all year. It has a light and fluffy, yet rich, moist and indulgent crumb.”
INGREDIENTS
• 450g/1lb strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tsp fresh yeast, or 2 tsp dried
• 180ml/6½fl oz tepid whole milk
• 200g/7oz quark
• 50g/2oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 50g/2oz raisins
• 50g/2oz glacé cherries, chopped
• 25g/1oz flaked almonds,
roughly chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
For the glaze
• 100g/4oz icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp water
To decorate
• 25g/1oz glacé cherries, halved
• 25g/1oz flaked almonds, toasted
1. Put the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Crumble the yeast (or sprinkle if using dried) into the tepid milk and stir to dissolve. Pour the yeasted milk into the flour mixture, add the quark, butter, vanilla extract and lemon zest and, using your hands, bring everything together into a rough dough.
2. Tip out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until elastic. Form it into a ball and nestle it into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm spot to rise for an hour, or until considerably risen in size. (Alternatively, put the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in the yeasted milk, add the quark, butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract and knead for 5-8 minutes until elastic. Cover and set aside, as above.)
3. Knock the dough back with your fist and add the raisins, glacé cherries and flaked almonds. Gently knead until evenly incorporated.
4. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a 30cm/12in
long sausage. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick parchment. Carefully lift the dough onto the baking sheet and shape it into a wreath, taking care to stick the ends together to join.
5. Cover the wreath with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes, or until the dough has visibly grown by at least half its size again.
6. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6.
7. Brush the top of the wreath with beaten egg and bake for about 25 minutes until rusty brown. Cool on a wire rack.
8. Once cool, mix the icing sugar, lemon juice and water together. Drizzle the glaze over the top and decorate with the cherries and almonds. This is best served fresh the day it is baked.