This savory Christmas wreath bread recipe results in a beautiful wreath-shaped bread full of pesto and studded with cherry tomatoes and macadamia nuts. It can be served as part of any Christmas feast with its festive shape and savory ingredients.
Making the Christmas wreath bread does require some effort but it is actually quite easy to make. To prepare the bread, you first make a dough with milk, yeast, sugar, flour, herbs, salt, and butter. Then, once it has risen, it gets rolled out, spread with a homemade basil pesto, and rolled up into a wreath shape. Then, the bread is allowed to rise again before being garnished with the tomatoes and macadamia nuts, and baked in the oven.
What is Savory Christmas Wreath Bread?
This savory Christmas wreath bread is a wreath-shaped bread that is filled with pesto and garnished with cherry tomatoes and macadamia nuts to mimic Christmas ornaments. The way that the bread is assembled ensures that you get a little basil pesto in every bite.
Pro Tips
- To make this savory Christmas wreath bread entirely vegan, consider replacing the butter with vegan butter.
- Make sure the yeast you use is still fresh and active before you begin making the dough.
- If you find that your dough isn’t rising very quickly, it may be that the location you have it in is too cold. In this case, you can move it to a warmer location to help it rise more quickly.
- If you have a difficult time finding macadamia nuts where you live, you could replace them with peeled hazelnuts instead as they have a similar round shape.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is This Savory Christmas Wreath Bread Vegan?
Yes, this savory Christmas wreath bread is vegan as long as you also use plant-based butter. Rather than regular milk, it uses soy milk, and the pesto recipe uses nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor rather than parmesan cheese.
Can I Replace Cherry Tomatoes With Grape Tomatoes?
Yes, if you don’t have cherry tomatoes on hand, you could easily replace them with grape tomatoes. They just won’t have a round shape.
How Can I Tell the Bread is Baked?
When the savory Christmas wreath bread is baked, it will be puffed and golden on the top and bottom. If you insert an instant-read thermometer in its centre, it should read around 200 F (93.3 C) as well.
How to Store Savory Christmas Wreath Bread
This savory Christmas wreath bread is best enjoyed within a day or two of it being made as it will be freshest in those days. Simply cover it tightly and store it on the counter until you are ready to serve it.
Ingredients
How to Make Savory Christmas Wreath Bread
For the dough, mix the milk with the sugar and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour, dried herbs, salt, and butter, and mix until combined into a dough. Knead it until a smooth and elastic dough forms. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
For the dough, mix the milk with the sugar and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour, dried herbs, salt, and butter, and mix until combined into a dough. Knead it until a smooth and elastic dough forms. Cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
For the basil pesto, toast the macadamia nuts in a pan on the stove until they are toasted and fragrant.
For the basil pesto, toast the macadamia nuts in a pan on the stove until they are toasted and fragrant.
Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor along with the nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, basil, lemon juice, and olive oil; blend the mixture until finely chopped.
Place the macadamia nuts in a food processor along with the nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, basil, lemon juice, and olive oil; blend the mixture until finely chopped.
Cut three portions of dough lengthwise.
To assemble the wreath, punch the dough down and roll it into a long rectangle.
Braid the three portions.
Spread the pesto on two-thirds of the dough.
Combine the ends into a circle. Cover it and allow it to rise for 1 hour. Bake it in a 350 F (180 C) oven for 30 minutes.
Fold the dough inward.
Place the wreath on a serving plate and brush it with butter. Garnish it with the cherry tomatoes, macadamia nuts, and basil leaves.
Cut three portions of dough lengthwise.
Serve and enjoy!
Braid the three portions.
Combine the ends into a circle. Cover it and allow it to rise for 1 hour. Bake it in a 350 F (180 C) oven for 30 minutes.
Place the wreath on a serving plate and brush it with butter. Garnish it with the cherry tomatoes, macadamia nuts, and basil leaves.
Serve and enjoy!
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