The Sourdough Christmas Morning Bread Your Family Will Beg For Every Year

Some families have matching pajamas. Ours has this bread.

It’s a soft, buttery sourdough wreath swirled with cranberries, orange zest and cinnamon sugar, finished with a drizzle of orange glaze. It comes out of the oven warm while everyone is still opening presents.

The best part: you do almost all the work on Christmas Eve. The shaped wreath rests in the fridge overnight, so on Christmas morning you just take it out, bake it, and glaze it.

No mixing, no flour on your pajamas, no missing the good moments.

It looks like it came from a fancy bakery, but the twist is easier than it looks. Make it once, and your family will ask for it every December.

Why This Recipe Works

• Made the day before. The overnight rest in the fridge fits the bread around your holiday, not the other way around.
• Soft, not sour. Milk, butter, egg and sugar make a tender, brioche-like dough. The orange and cinnamon balance the gentle tang from the overnight rest.
• Bakery look, simple shaping. You roll it, slice it in half, twist the two strands together, and form a ring. Cutting the log shows off every layer of the swirl.
• Holiday flavors everyone loves. Cranberry, orange and cinnamon taste like Christmas without being too sweet for breakfast.

A few notes on ingredients

You don’t need anything special for this bread, but a few choices make a real difference.

Active starter. Feed your starter the night before so it’s bubbly, domed and roughly doubled when you mix.

A sluggish starter is the number one reason enriched sourdough rises slowly. If yours lives in the fridge, give it two feedings at room temperature before baking day.

Bread flour. Its higher protein gives the dough enough strength to hold all that butter and sugar, and to keep its shape when you twist it.

All-purpose flour works too, but the wreath will spread a little more. Reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon if you use it.

Whole milk and real butter. This is what makes the crumb soft and rich.

Low-fat milk works in a pinch, but skip margarine or spreads; they make the filling greasy and the dough heavy.

Fresh oranges. Use the zest of two oranges, one in the dough and one in the filling, and squeeze one for the glaze.

Bottled juice and dried peel taste flat next to the real thing.

Dried cranberries. Chop them roughly so every slice gets some, and so they don’t poke through the dough and burn.

If they feel hard, soak them in warm orange juice for 10 minutes and pat them very dry.

Sourdough Cranberry Orange Christmas Wreath

Makes: 1 large wreath, 12 slices · Active time: 50 minutes · Total time: about 24 hours, mostly hands-off

Equipment: stand mixer with dough hook (or strong arms), rolling pin, large baking sheet, parchment paper, sharp knife or bench scraper

Dough

• 100 g (scant ½ cup) active sourdough starter, at its peak
• 180 g (¾ cup) whole milk, lukewarm
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 orange
• 420 g (about 3½ cups) bread flour
• 8 g (1⅓ tsp) fine sea salt
• 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft

Filling

• 45 g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
• 100 g (½ cup packed) light brown sugar
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Zest of 1 orange
• 90 g (¾ cup) dried cranberries, roughly chopped
• Optional: 50 g (½ cup) pecans, chopped

Egg wash

• 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp milk

Orange glaze

• 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Christmas Eve: make and shape the wreath

1. Mix. In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the starter, milk, egg, sugar, vanilla and orange zest. Add the flour and salt and mix on low until no dry flour remains. Rest 20 minutes.
2. Knead in the butter. Add the soft butter a spoonful at a time on medium-low. Knead 10 to 12 minutes, until the dough is smooth, glossy and stretches thin without tearing. It will feel sticky at first; resist adding flour.
3. Bulk rise. Cover and let rise somewhere warm (75 to 78°F) for 5 to 7 hours, until about 75% bigger and soft and puffy.
4. Make the filling. Stir together the soft butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest into a spreadable paste.
5. Roll out. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough into a 10×16-inch rectangle, long side facing you.
6. Fill. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a ½-inch border on the far long edge. Scatter the cranberries (and pecans) on top and press them in gently.
7. Roll and chill briefly. Roll the dough up tightly from the long side into a 16-inch log and pinch the seam. Chill on a tray for 15 minutes so it cuts cleanly.
8. Cut and twist. With a sharp knife, slice the log in half lengthwise, leaving 1 inch uncut at one end. Turn the halves cut-side up, then twist them over each other like a rope, keeping the layers facing up.
9. Form the wreath. Move the rope to a parchment-lined baking sheet, curve it into a ring, and pinch the ends together. Tuck any loose cranberries back in.
10. Rest overnight. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 to 15 hours.

Christmas morning: bake and glaze

1. Warm up. Take the wreath out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature 1 to 2 hours, until puffy and a fingertip poke springs back slowly. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Egg wash. Whisk the yolk with the milk and brush gently over the dough, avoiding the exposed filling.
3. Bake. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until deep golden and 190°F in the thickest part. Tent with foil after 15 minutes if the cranberries darken too fast.
4. Glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar, orange juice and vanilla into a thick but pourable glaze. Let the wreath cool 15 minutes, then drizzle the glaze over the top.
5. Serve. Slide it onto a board, add a few sprigs of rosemary for a festive look, and serve warm.

Tips For a Picture-perfect Wreath

• Use a ruler. A 10×16-inch rectangle gives you a log thick enough for big, visible swirls. If the dough springs back while rolling, cover it and let it rest 5 minutes, then try again.
• Go easy on the filling near the edge. Most leaks start at the seam. The clean border lets the dough seal tightly.
• Cut with one confident stroke. A long, sharp chef’s knife or a bench scraper gives cleaner layers than sawing back and forth.
• Keep the cut sides up. As you twist the strands, rotate them so the swirl stays facing the ceiling. That’s what makes the wreath look so impressive.
• Make the circle bigger than you think. The dough puffs in the fridge and in the oven. Leave a 3- to 4-inch hole in the center, or it may close up as it bakes.
• Bake on a doubled sheet. Stacking two baking sheets protects the bottom from burning, since the sugar in the filling caramelizes quickly.
• Glaze it warm, not hot. If the bread is too hot, the glaze melts and disappears. After 15 minutes, it sets into pretty white ribbons.

Make It Your Own

• Classic cinnamon: Skip the cranberries and orange zest, and use a vanilla cream cheese glaze instead.
• Chocolate cherry: Swap the cranberries for dried cherries and add 60 g (⅓ cup) mini chocolate chips.
• Apple pie: Use finely diced apple (1 small apple, patted dry) with ½ tsp nutmeg in the filling.
• Nut-free: Leave out the pecans; nothing else changes.
• Two small wreaths: Divide the dough in half before rolling, one to keep and one to give to a neighbor. Bake 20 to 24 minutes.

Make-ahead, Freezing and Leftovers

• Bake a few days early: Bake the wreath without glaze, cool completely, wrap tightly and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw overnight on the counter, warm at 300°F for 10 minutes, then glaze.
• Freeze before baking: Shape the wreath, freeze it on the tray, then wrap it well. The night before Christmas, move it to the fridge; in the morning, let it rise 2 to 3 hours at room temperature and bake as usual.
• Leftovers: Keep covered at room temperature up to 2 days. Day-old slices make incredible French toast.

FAQ

Can I make this without an overnight rest? Yes.

After shaping, let the wreath rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours until puffy, then bake. The flavor will be a little milder.

Can I use fresh cranberries? Yes.

Chop them finely and toss with 1 extra tablespoon of sugar. Expect a tarter, juicier swirl.

My starter isn’t active. Can I add yeast?

Yes. Add 3 g (1 tsp) instant yeast with the flour and cut the bulk rise to about 1½ to 2 hours.

Can I make it without a stand mixer? Yes.

Knead by hand for 15 to 20 minutes, adding the butter gradually. The dough will be sticky; a bench scraper helps.

What to serve with it

This wreath is the centerpiece of a slow Christmas brunch. To round out the table, try:

• A breakfast casserole or a simple frittata you can also prep the night before
• Crispy bacon or maple breakfast sausage
• A bowl of fresh berries and orange slices
• Whipped honey butter for anyone who wants extra
• Hot cocoa for the kids, and coffee or spiced cider for the grown-ups

Set it on a wooden board with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and sugared cranberries, and it looks just like a holiday wreath.

Start a new tradition

The best holiday recipes aren’t the most complicated ones. They’re the ones that show up every year, when the house smells like orange and cinnamon and everyone wanders into the kitchen in their pajamas.

Bake this wreath once, and it might become the thing your kids remember about Christmas morning. Save the recipe, print it for your recipe box, and let the little ones help sprinkle the filling on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas, and happy baking!

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