Sweet Nut Christmas Bread Wreath Recipe (Braided)

Can you imagine your family coming to your holiday table on Christmas morning only to see a beautiful Bread Wreath centerpiece? Our Sweet Nut Christmas Bread Wreath tastes like cinnamon rolls. It’s loaded with warm cinnamon, and ground walnuts, and topped with a sweet glaze drizzle.

This recipe was originally shared in 2016 and has been updated to provide better instructions. No changes were made to the recipe

Making this Christmas Wreath Bread may look complicated but it’s actually simple to make with our easy instructions. 

We love sweet rolls and like our Star Bread or our Cinnamon Apple pull-apart bread, you can eat it for breakfast or as an edible centerpiece at your holiday dinner. This beautiful wreath-shaped bread also makes a heartfelt gift for the holiday season. Let us show you how we made it.

Bread Wreath Ingredients

For the dough:

• Instant yeast – check the expiration date and that the yeast is labeled as instant or rapid-rise yeast. Expired yeast may not rise properly and unlike active dry yeast, it doesn’t need to be activated in warm liquids. 
• All-purpose flour – will make your wreath bread soft and fluffy. 
• Unsalted butter – is used so we can control the salt content in our bread wreath recipe. If you choose to use salted butter, reduce the amount of salt to 3/4 teaspoon. Butter should be softened to room temperature.
• Salt – kosher salt or fine sea salt works well in this recipe.
• Cinnamon – ground cinnamon is the star of our holiday bread.
• Sugar – a small amount of white granulated sugar adds a nice, sweet flavor to our dough.
• Eggs – we use large eggs for consistency in our baking. Beat eggs slightly in a small bowl and let them come to room temperature.
• Milk – whole milk is what we prefer. The fat content will create a rich soft dough. Using an alternative will work in this recipe but can change the flavor. Milk should be warmed to 110° F.
• Water – tap water or any water that you drink will work. Again, water should be warmed to 110° F.

For the Filling: 

• Walnuts – ground finely and then measured. You could also use pecans or another nut of your choice.
• Sugar – white granulated sugar is used but, brown sugar can be substituted.
• Vanilla – pure vanilla gives our filling a rich flavor. Imitation can be used if that’s what you have.
• Cinnamon – ground cinnamon.

How to Make A Christmas Bread Wreath

1.  In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, stir together the lukewarm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit until foamy, or for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the warm milk, sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and eggs and mix on low until combined, and then gradually add 2 cups of flour one cup at a time. Mix for 2 minutes.
3. Add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer to medium speed and knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth. If kneading by hand, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray or oil it with vegetable oil. Place the dough into the bowl turning it once so oil is on both sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and put it in a warm spot to rise until doubled approximately 90 minutes.
5. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Cook until thick. Remove from heat and allow the filling to cool. You can always add a little water it if it gets too thick.
6. Punch the dough down and put it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it into a rectangle and spread the filling over the top within a 1/2-inch border along the long edge of the dough.

How do you shape a bread wreath?

1. Roll the dough from the long edge tightly. Pinch the edges together.

2. With a sharp knife, cut the roll down the center to create two long strips lengthwise. Carefully turn the dough pieces so the cut sides face up. Starting from the middle, loosely twist the halves over each other, keeping the cut sides up.

3. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Carefully transfer the twisted rope to the baking sheet and join the bread dough edges together to make a circular wreath shape.

4. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel for the second rise, approximately 45 minutes until fluffy.

Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown. Cool completely and glaze.

 Tips for the Perfect Bread Wreath

• When shaping put the equal pieces of dough side-by-side and cut side up. Start from the middle section of dough when twisting otherwise the rope can easily be much thicker as you go and not uniform in thickness. 
• Apply the filling leaving a 1/2-inch along the long edge border. This will help to keep the filling from leaking out and also make it easier to pinch the seam together.
• A pizza peel can be used to transfer the dough to the baking sheet.
• A stick of butter can be softened in the microwave in 5-second intervals, turning it between each interval. 
• To apply the glaze, you want it in a thin enough consistency to drizzle by pouring or shaking a fork dipped in the glaze over the wreath.
• Grind the nuts in a food processor or pulse them in your blender to get the proper consistency before measuring.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t my Wreath Bread Fluffy?

Usually, it means that the dough wasn’t given enough time to rise when the roll comes out dense. The rise time is approximate. The shaped bread will be visibly puffy when it’s risen sufficiently.

How do I store my Holiday Bread?

Your Wreath Bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or reclosable plastic bag for up to 5 days. To refresh or reheat the bread, heat it in the microwave in 10-second intervals.

Bread can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container which makes it perfect for making it ahead of the holiday. We recommend that you glaze it after it thaws.

How do you Serve Christmas Wreath Bread?

This bread is so good and would be perfect for Christmas morning. Especially since it can be baked up to two days ahead of time! I recommend glazing the day you want to serve it.

Christmas Wreath Bread is the perfect pull-apart bread with a cup of coffee or tea. Especially if you’re serving a larger meal later. For a larger brunch, your bread wreath can be served with Quiche, Breakfast Strata, or Frittatas. 

You can also serve this beautiful bread with your holiday dinner. Adding a cute ribbon where your ends were joined makes it the perfect edible centerpiece for your dinner table.

When I was doing my holiday baking, including my Holiday Nut Rolls I knew that nut filling would be delicious.

If you liked this recipe try these out

• Kifli Walnut Rolls
• Overnight Brioche Cinnamon Rolls
• Blueberry Twist Bread Rolls Recipe
• Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

This recipe was previously made as participation in a bread-baking challenge group. The theme was sweet bread requiring yeast. I knew I wanted to make a Sweet Nut Holiday Bread Wreath! It was perfect for the event

Now take a look at some other bread recipes perfect for the Holidays!

• American-Style Panettone from Passion Kneaded
• Chestnut Roll Wreath from Food Above Gold
• Chocolate Cherry Brioche Buns from Baking Sense
• Chocolate Swirl Babka from Cook’s Hideout
• Cranberry Sweet Rolls from Food Lust People Love
• Estonian Kringle from I Camp in my Kitchen
• Finnish Nissua Bread from Gayathri’s Cook Spot
• Fruit & Nut Sourdough from What Smells So Good?
• Ginger Orange Stollen from SpiceRoots
• Holiday Wreath with Sweet Nut Filling from Hostess At Heart
• Marzipan Stollen from Palatable Pastime
• Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls from A Day in the Life on the Farm/

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.