These wreaths are not often found outside of German bakeries but are simple to make with eye-catching results. You may used frozen, thawed bread dough if you wish, or follow one of the delicious roll recipes listed below.
Makes one bread wreath
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 - 2 lb. bread dough, store bought or home made (See below for suggestions)
- Oil
- Seeds or grains, such as sesame, poppy, sunflower, cracked wheat, rolled oats
- Herbs (optional)
Preparation:
Roll Dough Suggestions:
- Whole Wheat Cottage Cheese Dough (enough for 2 wreaths)
- White Roll Dough (enough for 1 wreath)
- Sunflower Seed Dough (enough for 1 wreath)
After the dough has risen once or thawed according to directions, do the following:
Pinch off 2 ounce sections and form them into balls. Spray with water (hard crust) or oil (softer crust) and sprinkle or roll in topping of your choice (sunflower seeds, oats, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cracked wheat, salt, herbs etc). Place 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in a circle and let rise until almost doubled and touching each other.
12 rolls make one wreath. You can make 6 each of two kinds of toppings (shown here) or 4 each of three kinds of toppings.
Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven, with a baking stone if you have one, to 450°F for at least 1/2 hour. Bake rolls directly on the stone if you can transfer them, or on the parchment paper on the stone. Use steam for the first 5 minutes for a crunchy crust.
To steam:
Place an old baking pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Place rolls in the oven on the next shelf up. Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the old baking pan and close the door quickly. Spray sides of oven with water 2 or 3 times in the first 5 minutes using a regular spray bottle. Turn oven down to 400°F and bake for 15 - 20 more minutes.
