Holiday Cranberry Brie Wreath

Holiday Cranberry Brie Wreath

This impressive wreath creation was adapted by Kathy Stewart, a Mississauga momstown mama, devoted mother of 3, student of Nutrition and Pampered Chef Consultant. Kathy runs our momstown Mississauga Junior Chef program and is an enthusiastic teacher, sharing with our moms and kids how to make everyday cooking easier & healthier! 

Impressive Party Appetizer! 

Serves about 20

Ingredients:

Dough:

1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (or olive oil)

1 teaspoon salt

3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast-  2 tsp

Filling:

1 (12-oz) bag fresh cranberries  - 1 ½ cups

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice

200g double-cream brie cheese,

 1/2 cup whole pecans

Optional egg wash: 1 egg + 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

Dough: 

Put  dough ingredients into bread maker and put on DOUGH setting.  Allow breadmaker to run full 1.5 hour cycle.   OR

Dissolve the package of yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, with 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir and let sit 5-10 minutes, until yeast starts to foam. If it doesn’t, the yeast may no longer be active, and try again with a fresher pack.

Add 1/2 cup sugar, the warm milk, butter, salt, and 2 cups flour to the bowl. Beat until smooth (either with an electric mixer or a whisk). Add in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6-8 minutes, adding more flour as necessary if the dough is too sticky, until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Place in a large greased bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Filling: 

Meanwhile, prepare cranberry sauce by bringing 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add bag of fresh cranberries and reduce heat. Let simmer about 10 minutes, until cranberries break down and sauce is thickened. Add 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice.  Let cool.

Assembly:

Punch down dough and roll on a floured surface into a 16 inch by 12 inch rectangle. Spread cooled cranberry sauce over the surface of the dough. Make sure the sauce spreads all the way to the shorter edges of the dough, but leave a 1-inch border on the long edge of the dough furthest away from you (the edge you will be rolling the dough toward). Cover with slices of brie, as evenly as possible. Sprinkle evenly with chopped pecans. Beginning with the long edge of the dough closest to you, roll the dough towards the opposite end, jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal.

Transfer the rolled dough to the round baking stone and form into a wreath, pinching the two ends of the log together as best as you can. Use scissors to cut into the wreath so that the filling is slightly exposed - cut about 1/2 to 1 inch into the dough, at about 2 inch intervals (you don't want the filling to fall out, just to show). Cover and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.

If desired, prepare an egg wash for the dough by whisking together one egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Before baking the dough, brush the surface evenly with the egg wash (make sure you cover every part of the dough evenly so there are no differences in colour).

Bake the wreath for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool slightly, then slice and serve warm.

Recipe and Image provided by:

Kathy Stewart 

Pampered Chef Consultant