Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath - HBinFive

This week in the bread-baking blog, we're featuring two Holiday Pumpkin Breads made with the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes Pumpkin Pie Brioche dough. The first bread is a Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath and the second is Cinnamon Pumpkin Crescent Rolls.  This post will focus on the braided wreath.  The crescent rolls will be highlighted in a separate post.  

Would you like to join the HBinFive Bread Baking Group?  We'll be baking through the breads in the Healthy Bread in Five Minutes book.  Michele of BigBlackDogs started the group and although the challenge doesn't officially start until January, we're having fun baking some bonus breads in the meantime. For more information on the new HBinFive baking group, check out Michele's blog.



You might also enjoy the Holiday Pumpkin Bread we featured in the bread-baking blog last November. It's a little bit different than the bread we're featuring today in that it utilizes a kneaded rather than a no knead dough.

Here are some other Pumpkin Bread Recipes for your holiday bread-baking enjoyment.

Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath

My first batch of no knead pumpkin pie brioche dough was so soft, I couldn't shape it into anything except regular loaves.  I decided to give it another try.  The second time around, the consistency of the dough turned out much better (click here for details) so, I thought it would be fun to try a different shape. I've already made and posted about a braided pumpkin bread this season, so I wanted to take it a step further and shape the braid into a wreath.

Let's get started ...


For the Braided Holiday Pumpkin Wreath, we'll roll the dough out into 3 logs, braid the logs, shape the braid into a wreath and place it in the pan to rise. Then it's into the oven to bake.


Shaping the Loaf


Take the dough out of the refrigerator, dust with flour and cut off a one-pound piece.

Divide the dough into three equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a log about 18 inches long.

Make a braid with the three logs and pinch the ends together.

Coil the braid into a lightly greased 8" or 9" cake pan, shaping it into a wreath-like circle and pressing the ends together where they meet. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap.

Let the wreath rise for about 90 minutes.

Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes, until lightly browned. 

I decided to brush the wreath with an egg wash part way through the baking cycle so the bread would brown nicely.  

Remove the wreaths from the oven, and allow them to cool on a rack.

Enjoy your beautiful wreath plain with butter or drizzle a powder sugar glaze over it and sprinkle with nuts.  I decided to keep my wreath plain so I could serve it as a savory bread.  You could also make French toast or bread pudding with this bread.

Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog. We hope you enjoyed your visit and will join us again next time.

Stay tuned for more breads from the HBinFive baking group.  If you want to join the group, click here.

Happy Baking!
 --Cathy 

Here are some additional bread-making resources:

• Bread Recipes
• Bread Cookbooks
  
• Bread Making
  
• Baking Supplies
  
• Bread Flour
  
• Bread Mixes

You might enjoy some of the other breads that have been featured in the bread making blog. Click on the links below to view the different types of breads:

2009 Bread Making Series

• November: Festive Breads
• October: Pumpkin Breads
• September 2009: Pizza
• August 2009: Artisan Breads
• July 2009: No Knead Breads
• June 2009: Steamed Breads
• May 2009: Baking Breads in Pots
• April 2009: Easter and Other Breads
• March 2009: Soda Breads
• February 2009: Breakfast Breads
• January 2009: Whole Wheat Breads

2008 Bread Making Series

• December 2008: Holiday Breads
• November 2008: Festive Breads
• October 2008: Bread Machine Bread
• September 2008: Making Pizza
• August 2008: Making No Knead Breads
• July 2008: Using Bread Starters to Make Bread