Best 3 Braided Orange Wreath Recipes

BRAIDED FRUIT WREATH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add milk, butter, sugar, lemon rind, eggs, salt, mace, and 2 cups flour. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
• Gradually add flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
• Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough.
• Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide in half. Using a rolling pin, roll half of the dough into a 22 by 9-inch rectangle. Cover and let rest 5 minutes on the work surface.
• Cut the dough into three 22-inch long strips.
• Mix the nuts and candied fruit. Fill the center of each strip with 1/2 cup of the nut and fruit mixture. Bring edges together and pinch to seal forming three 22-inch-long strands.
• Lay the strands side-by-side on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn the baking sheet so the strands are facing lengthwise away from you. Starting in the center of the strands, place the right strand over the middle strand (the right strand has now become the middle strand), then the left strand over the middle, the right over the middle, left over the middle, etc. Continue this process until the strands are too short to braid. Do not pinch the end together.
• To braid the other end of the loaf, turn the baking sheet around so that the unbraided portion is facing you. Place the middle strand over the right strand, then middle strand over the left, middle over the right, middle over the left, etc., until the ends are too short to braid. Join the ends of the braid to form a wreath, and pinch to seal. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake for 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 190 degrees.
• Immediately remove bread from baking sheet and cool on a rack for 20 minutes.
• Combine powdered sugar and cream. Mixture should be the consistency of honey (if it isn't, adjust by adding more cream to thin it or powdered sugar to thicken it). Drizzle over the top of each wreath.

ORANGE-BRAISED BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season brisket generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high; swirl in 1 tablespoon oil. Add beef and cook, flipping once, until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate; discard fat in pot. Reduce heat to medium; swirl in remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in coriander and oregano; cook 1 minute. Add triple sec; boil until mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Return beef and any juices to pot with jalapeno and cinnamon. Squeeze orange wedges over meat and drop into pot. Add broth; bring to a boil.
• Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook, turning beef every hour, until tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Remove lid and continue braising until liquid is reduced slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Remove beef; shred into bite-size pieces. Strain braising liquid; discard solids. With a spoon or a fat separator, remove and discard excess fat. Stir 1 cup braising liquid into shredded meat to moisten. Serve with more braising liquid, tomatillo salsa, and cilantro.

BRAIDED ALMOND-CREAM WREATH (KRANZKUCHEN)

Steps:

• To make the dough:
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Then add the milk and egg and stir briefly. Add the butter and knead the dough briefly by hand in the bowl. Scrape it out onto a lightly floured work surface and continue to knead it for several minutes. You may need to add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of flour, but resist the urge to add more; the dough should be quite soft and rich. You won't be able to knead it as long as other yeast doughs, but try to get it to a point where it's no longer too sticky and can be formed into a ball.
• Place the ball back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean dishcloth and place in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour to rise.
• To make the filling:
• Place the raisins in a small bowl and add the rum and lemon juice. Set aside to macerate for 30 minutes.
• To assemble and bake:
• Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, combine the almond paste, sugar, egg white, 1 tablespoon of milk, butter, and salt; knead together by hand until well combined. Knead in the raisins and their macerating liquid. The mixture should be creamy but will still hold its shape when spread. If necessary, mix in the remaining 1 tablespoon of milk. Set aside.
• When the proofing hour is up, gently tug the dough onto a work surface. Roll out the dough to a 13 by 16-inch/33 by 40cm rectangle. You can pull the edges out to form neat corners.
• Scrape the filling onto the dough and, using a bench scraper, spread the mixture out evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch/2.5cm border on one of the long sides. Starting from the other long side, roll up the dough. Using a sharp bench scraper, cut the roll of dough in half lengthwise, leaving about 1 inch/2.5cm at one end still attached. Working quickly, twist the 2 strands around each other all the way down the length of the roll. Then form the wrapped dough strands into a circle. Next, slice through the end that you left attached and tuck the end pieces at both ends underneath each other to make a neat closure.
• Transfer the wreath to the prepared pan (you may need someone to help you do this) and bake for 45 minutes at the second-lowest rack position, rotating halfway through. When finished, the loaf will be golden brown all over and should sound slightly hollow when tapped. It will still be quite soft.
• To make the glaze:
• Just before the end of the baking time, heat the apricot jam over medium-high heat until loose and bubbling. When the wreath emerges from the oven, immediately brush it all over with the hot jam. Place the pan on a rack to cool.
• When the wreath has almost fully cooled, sift the confectioners' sugar into a small bowl and whisk in the water. Whisk until smooth and lump-free. You want a thick but pourable glaze. Add more sugar or a drop more water as needed. Drizzle the glaze back and forth over the entire wreath. Wait 1 hour for the glaze to set and the cake to cool completely and then slice and serve. The cake is best eaten the day it is made, but it can be kept at room temperature, loosely wrapped in plastic wrap, for 2 additional days.