Sweet Wreath

The Sweet Wreath is a Christmas dessert that resembles the shape of a decorative wreath. Here is the recipe to prepare this festive dessert.

Ingredients

• 500 g of 00 flour
• 120 g of granulated sugar
• 100 g of softened butter
• 25 g of fresh brewer’s yeast
• 200 ml of warm milk
• 2 eggs
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 pinch of salt
• Raisins, candied fruits and orange peels (to taste)
• Powdered sugar for decoration

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk, making sure it is not too hot, otherwise you will kill the yeast.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, softened butter, eggs, milk with the dissolved yeast, grated lemon zest and the pinch of salt.
3. Knead until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
4. If you wish to add raisins, candied fruits or orange peels, incorporate them into the dough now.
5. Let the dough rise in a warm place, covered with a cloth, until it doubles in volume (it will take about 1-2 hours).
6. Once risen, transfer the dough to a floured surface and shape it into a long loaf.
7. Fold the loaf onto itself to form a wreath and place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure to seal the ends well.
8. Let the wreath rise for another 30-40 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
10. Bake the wreath in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Let it cool and then dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Trivia

The sweet wreath can be customized with different types of edible Christmas decorations, such as colored sugar sprinkles, whole almonds or hazelnuts. Sometimes it is also enriched with a lemon glaze or dried fruit before baking, to give an extra touch of flavor and crunchiness. Each region of Italy then has its own variants, inspired by local traditional recipes.