HOLIDAY SWEET BRAIDED BREAD

Holiday sweet braided bread is golden buttery dough with walnut, brown sugar & cinnamon filling twisted in round shaped bread. This beautiful bread will be your next holiday brunch sensation. 

WHAT IS BRAIDED SWEET BREAD & WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT

Today we are baking holiday sweet bread, which is breaded or rather twisted like babka dough type bread & connected from both ends to create a wreath. It will be filled with Christmas flavors, such as roasted walnuts, cinnamon & brown sugar. The way it’s breaded reminds me of babka style bread, but the way it’s filled It’s more like cinnamon bun style bread. It takes a bit of time to make, but so easy that it’s all worth it. 

We are entering the festive season, which might be a little hectic, this is why I have chosen this uncomplicated recipe. Here we go; an easy holiday sweet braided bread recipe or if you’d like holiday sweet twisted bread. 

If you like this sweet bread, please try these delicious MAPLE PECAN PLAITS are trending now, THE BEST BANANA BREAD or easy HOMEMADE DUTCH OVEN BREAD.

INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS FOR HOMEMADE BRAIDED BREAD

This is a yeast dough with the addition of butter, so it’s slightly denser than the traditional sweet brioche bread recipe. This is the reason why I recommend using fresh yeasts over the dry yeasts. Using the fresh yeast, your sweet braided bread will result in fluffier bread. Dry yeasts work well, but it might take slightly longer to prove the dough & the bread is not as fluffy as with fresh yeast.

Fresh Yeast is my favorite to use in any recipe calling for yeasts. In this sweet braided bread, dry or active yeasts work equally well, but possibly it might take longer for the dough to rise. Please pay attention, in the recipe, how to activate fresh yeast. It is slightly different from using dry yeast. Need a tip on how to efficiently prove the dough, check the Tips section on the bottom of this post.

Warm milk – Make sure to warm up the milk, temperature between 95-105 degree F (35-36 C) is the best, to help to activate the yeast. As a substitute, you can use coconut or oat milk.

Sugar – Makes everything sweeter &  better. It is one of the main ingredients. I used white fine sugar, but icing (confectioner) sugar works well in this recipe. As a substitute, you can use coconut sugar.

Flour – Use all-purpose flour for best results, but bread flour works as well. I haven’t tried this with gluten-free flour, but if you did, please let me know.

Salt – Is needed to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients. You can use any table or kosher salt.

Eggs – Are used to bind dough together, it also helps to prove the dough and makes it soft.

Butter – Makes the dough richer and more flavorful. It also creates a tender crust and prolongs the shelf-life. Use unsalted butter.

Walnuts – Used in this recipe, are slightly roasted to bring more flavor. You can substitute walnuts for pecans.

Brown Sugar – Best is to use dark brown sugar. It gives the filling a darker color and richer flavor.

Cinnamon – Can’t be missed in this holiday bread. Use ground cinnamon and if you love cinnamon, you can add little more than one teaspoon.

HOW TO MAKE BRAIDED BREAD

Fresh yeast starter

(You can skip this step if you are using dry yeast.)

1. In a larger coffee cup, warm the milk for 15 seconds in the microwave and crumble fresh yeast in it. Add 1 teaspoon of fine sugar (out of 40 g called in recipe). Stir it in, until you have a smooth paste. Cover with plastic food foil and let rise the yeast for 10 minutes, in a warm place. Continue the following steps below.

2. In a standing mixer with the hook attachment, add all-purpose flour, salt, sugar and if you are using dry yeast, stir well all the dry ingredients together. If you are using fresh yeast, add it together with egg yolks, melted butter and start kneading on low speed. Knead the dough in a standing mixer, until it starts coming together. Then knead for an additional 5-10 minutes, until you see the dough is soft and stretchy.

3. If the soft dough is sticking to the bowl, sprinkle it with one tablespoon of flour. If it’s too dry and doesn’t come together, add one tablespoon of melted butter. Once the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl, take it out on a clean floured surface and knead for about 1 minute, then form a ball and place it in a medium kitchen bowl. Cover with a tea towel or wrap with food foil. Let the dough rise in a warm place for one hour, or until it doubles in size.

4. Prepare filling. Meanwhile, the dough is proving, start chopping walnuts in smaller pieces. I use a large knife & large cutting board. Take a small pan and roast the walnuts on medium low heat. This step doesn’t require any butter or oil.

5. Remove the roasted walnuts from the pan and set aside. In a medium kitchen bowl, add brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Stir well and set aside the filling.

6. Preheat the oven, middle rack, to 177 C/ 350 F. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean floured surface. Roll the dough with a rolling pin, in a rectangular shape, about 15 inch x 12 inch.

7. Spread the sugar filling to the edges of the dough and sprinkle the roasted walnuts on top. Roll the dough into a log, starting from the long side of the dough. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the log in half-length to have two halves of dough. Place the right half of dough over the left and carefully twirl the two halves together until you have twisted bread. Place the twisted log on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and connect the two ends together to form the wreath. Cover the wreath with a tea towel and let rise for another 20 minutes.

8. Brush the wreath with egg wash before placing it in the oven. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. The wreath is ready once it has golden color on top and the large toothpick comes out clean.

9. Let cool the wreath on the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Transfer to a festive plate, you can dust the holiday wreath with powdered sugar and decorate with red ribbon. Before serving, cut on 2 inch slices. Serve with coffee or tea.

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL SWEET BREAD

Proof the dough in a warm place

When we say warm place, we want to have a spot in your kitchen, where the temperature is not only warm (ideal temperature is 25-32C / 78-90F), but also the place or spot where the temperature does not change. I usually choose a window ledge during the summer (don’t leave the window open) or the kitchen stove. 

Since your kitchen stove might be busy with cooking other meals, you may try oven proofing. Place your bowl with dough on the topper side of the oven and on the bottom place a smaller deep baking sheet with 3 cups of boiling water. This will create a nice, warm and humid spot for your dough to proof. Proofing is everything. Well proven dough is soft, fluffy and is easy to work with.

How long does it take to prove the dough?

It will take a minimum of one hour to prove the dough in summer or in a warm climate. In the winter time, it might take up to two hours. But if you try the trick with the oven mentioned above, you will certainly save some time.

The rule is, that the dough must double in size. That means your dough is well proven.

FAQs

Can I make braided bread ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this holiday braided bread ahead of time. There are two ways to prepare it ahead of time. One method is overnight, where you will prepare the dough, kneading and filling the night before & bake it the next morning. Or you can use the freezing method, which can be planned up to three months in advance.

Overnight method

First make the dough, let it rise and fill it with the filling. Basically follow the recipe until step no. 6 but don’t let it rise for the second time. Wrap it in plastic food foil (on the baking sheet) and place it into the refrigerator until you are ready to use it the next morning. The next morning, remove from the fridge and let the dough rise and double in size, for about 30 – 40 minutes. Then continue to step no.7.

Freezing method

You can definitely freeze Holiday baked braided bread. But it takes the whole process of baking the wreath first. Super worth it and it really comes out like freshly baked.

Make sure you plan on ahead by letting the baked wreath to cool completely.  Wrap the wreath in a  plastic food foil & then place in a large freezer Ziploc bag or large airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to reheat sweet bread ?

To thaw the wreath, place it overnight in the refrigerator.  The best is to warm up the wreath in the oven for a few minutes, before serving. This will make the bread taste like freshly baked. Preheat the oven to 177 C/ 350 F and place the wreath on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and straight in the oven. Reheat for 5-10 minutes.

Why is my sweet bread too dense?

Most probably it’s because the dough wasn’t well proven and nor kneaded enough. Well proven, the dough guarantees soft and fluffy bread.

Why didn’t the dough rise up?

 Or it might be old yeast that is not any more active. Buy a new one. Dry yeast has its expiry date.

STORING

Store the leftover sweet bread in the refrigerator for up to one week, wrapped in plastic food foil or in an airtight container.

To freeze, wrap it well in plastic wrap and place it in a large ziplock bag or airtight container.  Store in the freezer for up to three months.

HOMEMADE BREAD RECIPES 

• MAPLE PECAN PLAITS PASTRY
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• CHOCOLATE MONKEY BREAD FROM SCRATCH
• CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD RECIPE WITH PEARS
• MAZANEC CZECH EASTER SWEET BREAD