Mincemeat, Marzipan and Apple Bread Wreath (vegan)
Mincemeat, marzipan and apple bread wreath - an impressive festive centrepiece full of Christmassy flavours.
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
Dough:
- 50 g (¼ cup) vegan block butter/margarine
- 180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soya)
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) white bread flour
- 8 g (2 ½ teaspoons) fast action yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 40 g (3 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
Filling:
- one 411g jar mincemeat
- 250 g marzipan cut into small dice
- 1 medium eating apple (such as braeburn) peeled, cored and finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons apricot jam (optional)
Glaze (optional):
- 100 g (1 cup) icing (powdered) sugar sifted
- a drop of milk
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a small pan with the butter until melted; remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. You should be able to hold your finger in it with no discomfort.50 g (¼ cup) vegan block butter/margarine, 180 ml (¾ cup) unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soya)
- Tip the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook; add the sugar, yeast and salt, then mix. Pour the lukewarm buttery milk into the flour. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides as necessary, until a dough is formed. Then knead the dough for 5-10 minutes on a medium speed until smooth and elastic. Or, mix the ingredients in a bowl by hand, making a well in the centre of the flour to pour the buttery milk into, mix and then bring the dough together with your hands before kneading it for 10 minutes on an un-floured work surface. It should be very sticky at first but become smooth as you knead it.300 g (2 ½ cups) white bread flour, 8 g (2 ½ teaspoons) fast action yeast, ½ teaspoon salt, 40 g (3 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar
- Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it to rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until it has more or less doubled in size. Alternatively, place the bowl in the fridge and leave to rise overnight.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Without knocking it back, roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 30 x 38 cm in size.
- Spread over the mincemeat evenly then scatter over the diced marzipan and apple.one 411g jar mincemeat, 250 g marzipan, 1 medium eating apple (such as braeburn)
- Roll the dough up from one of the long edges into a log. Slice the log in half length-ways, exposing the filling. Twist the two halves together then shape into a circle, pinching the ends together to seal. This will be quite messy and you will lose some filling, you can just press it back into the dough later.
- Transfer it onto a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, add back any of the lost filling, loosely cover with oiled clingfilm and set aside to rise for about an hour until the dough is puffy.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/160℃ fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Bake the bread for about 40-55 minutes until well risen, golden and cooked through - the internal temperature should reach 94°C/202°F on a probe thermometer. Cover loosely with tin foil partway through baking if the top starts to colour too much.
- Leave the bread to cool on the tray before serving. While the loaf is cooling, heat the apricot jam with a splash of water in a small pan over a medium heat until runny. Pass through a sieve to remove any pieces of fruit, then brush the sieved jam all over the warm bread to glaze. Set aside to cool completely.2 Tablespoons apricot jam
- Just before serving, in a bowl mix the icing sugar with enough milk to form a runny icing and drizzle it all over the wreath.100 g (1 cup) icing (powdered) sugar, a drop of milk
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.