Maple Pecan Bread Wreath (Vegan)
Maple pecan bread wreath – this impressive vegan maple pecan couronne is a real showstopper which would be perfect for an indulgent breakfast or brunch.
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
Bread Dough:
- 350 g (2 + ¾ cups + 2 Tbsp) white bread flour*
- 7 g (2 ¼ tsp) instant/fast action yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 180 ml (¾ cup) lukewarm unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) maple syrup
- 45 g (3 Tbsp) vegan block butter** softened
Filling:
- 150 g (5.5 oz) chopped pecans
- 80 g (⅓ cup) vegan block butter softened
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 45 g (¼ cup) light brown soft sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Maple Glaze:
- 75 g (⅔ cup) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon melted vegan butter
- ½ - 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- maple syrup for brushing
Instructions
- To make the dough, mix together the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and maple syrup and stir until it forms a rough dough. Knead on a medium-high speed for a minute or two until the dough is smooth.
- Add the softened butter and continue to knead on a high speed for 5-10 minutes until the butter has been well incorporated and the dough is very smooth and elastic. It should be a fairly soft and sticky dough so resist the urge to add more flour unless it seems wet.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and set aside to rise in a warm place until at least doubled in size, for about 1-2 hours.Alternatively, at this point you can place the bowl of dough in the fridge to rise overnight and continue with the recipe in the morning.
- While the dough is rising make the filling by simply whisking together the butter, maple syrup, light brown soft sugar and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and give it a brief 30 second knead to knock out the air bubbles then roll it out on a floured sheet of baking parchment into a rectangle about 40x30cm / 12x16in in size.
- Spread the filling mixture evenly all over the rectangle then scatter over the pecans. Roll the dough up from one of the long edges into a tight sausage shape. Use a sharp knife to slice the log in half lengthways, leaving a small section joined together at one end so it resembles a pair of legs.
- Twist the two lengths together then form it into a circular shape and join the two ends together . Make sure that the dough is still on the baking parchment as this will make it easier to move it.
- Slide the sheet of baking parchment onto a baking tray. Loosely cover the loaf and set aside to rise in a warm spot until puffy, for about 45-60 minutes. If you press it gently with a finger it should spring back slowly.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.Once the dough has risen, bake it for about 30 minutes until a probe thermometer inserted into the centre reads at least 94°C/201°F . If the top starts to colour too much before the loaf is done, you can loosely cover it with a sheet of tin foil.
- When the bread is done, remove it from the oven and brush it with maple syrup to give it a good shine then leave to cool.
- Once the bread has cooled make the glaze. Place the sifted icing sugar in a bowl and stir in the maple syrup and melted butter then gradually stir in enough milk to form a thick but pourable consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the couronne and serve straight away.
Notes
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
* Plain (all-purpose) flour will work but bread flour gives the best texture. ** Use a foil wrapped block butter such as Naturli vegan block, Stork block, Vitalite block, Tormor or Earth Balance Buttery sticks. The spreadable kind in a tub has too high a water content for baking and will not provide the best results.
* Plain (all-purpose) flour will work but bread flour gives the best texture. ** Use a foil wrapped block butter such as Naturli vegan block, Stork block, Vitalite block, Tormor or Earth Balance Buttery sticks. The spreadable kind in a tub has too high a water content for baking and will not provide the best results.