Saffron wreath

Hello all,
In the week leading up to Christmas I get in an incredibly "bakey" mood. All I want to do is bake, eat and sing christmas songs. I thought I'd share some photos and the how-to of a baked wreath that I made, that was a major success at work and in the family. I'm personally very pleased with it, if I may say so myself.

The dough is the traditional Swedish saffron bun dough, that I shared last Christmas on the blog (here). This saffron wreath is made super luxurious though, by adding not only the gold of the world of spices, but also almond paste, orange zest, raisins, pistachios and cranberries. I garnish the whole thing with chopped pistachios and cranberries giving it a look of true christmas jewels bedazzling the wreath.

Without further ado...

Saffron wreath

INGREDIENTS

• 5 dl milk
• 50 grams fresh yeast
• 1,5 dl sugar
• 2 grams saffron
• ~14 dl flour
• 100+50 grams butter
• 200 grams almond paste
• 60 grams pre-shelled raw (unsalted) pistachios
• 60 grams raisins
• 40 grams cranberries
• Zest of 1 orange
• Cinnamon
• 1 egg

DIRECTIONS

Melt 100 grams of the butter in a pan together with the milk. Let it reach 37°C. Solve the yeast in the milk and butter mixture, then add the sugar. Solve the saffron in 1 tablespoon warm water, and the add it to the rest. Add the flour, you might not need all of the flour so add it in additions. When the dough isn't super sticky anymore and releases from the bowl it is saturated for flour. Cover and let prove for 1 hour, until the dough is twice as big.

Whilst waiting for the dough you can grate the almond paste, chop the pistachios, raisins and cranberries, and zest the orange. Save a bit of the pistachios and cranberries for garnish.

Divide the dough into two equal balls. Roll out the ball to a rectangle with a rolling pin to about 1 cm thickness. Spread half of the rest of the butter (25 grams) onto the rectangle and then add half of the almond paste, pistachios, raisins, cranberries and zest of the orange on top of the butter. Press the fillings into the dough a bit. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the rest of the fillings.

Roll the rectangle up on its long side and bring the two ends together, forming a circle. Press the ends to each other so they stick. Then cut slices in the circle with scissors, you're just cutting about halfway through the roll. Do this at an angle and then turn the cut in the opposite direction. I've added photos (and a gif) of these steps as I'm terrible at describing it.

Do this all along the circle creating a beautiful wreath. Put the wreath on parchment paper and cover and let prove for another hour. Before baking give the wreaths an egg wash and garnish with the left over pistachios and cranberries. Bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes at the lowest part of your oven.

I really think this is the most decadent you can go while steering clear from chocolate. Pistachios, cranberries and the gold - saffron! Oh this is such a heavenly bit of baking!

I just baked this for the second time this year (so my fourth wreath of the year) and I am still head-over-heels for it!

I hope you all enjoy the recipe and if I don't blog again before Christmas I want to take the opportunity and wish all of you a very Happy Christmas!

Take care and spread joy!
Much love,