This delicious plum and marzipan sweet wreath would make a beautiful centrepiece on your breakfast table. Easily customisable for holidays such as Christmas and Easter and perfect for sharing!
Put all the dry ingredients – flour, yeast, sugar, salt – in the bowl of your stand mixer and mix together to combine with a balloon whisk.
Mix the water, milk, egg, vanilla extract and zest in a measuring jug. If your milk is cold then add warm water to bring everything to body temperature before adding to the flour.
Fit the dough hook in your stand mixer and start mixing at low speed, gradually adding the liquid ingredients.
Mix for a minute until a shaggy dough forms and then add the butter.
Continue mixing on medium-low speed until the dough is elastic and forms a ball around the hook, about 6 minutes.
Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size - about an hour. Meanwhile put the marzipan in the freezer.
To make in a bread machine
Add the water, milk, egg, vanilla extract, zest, sugar and butter to your bread machine bowl.
Top with the flour, salt and yeast and select the dough programme. Leave to mix and prove. Meanwhile put the marzipan in the freezer.
Shape and fill the wreath
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured large piece of baking paper and roll out to a rectangular shape, about 15x40cm (6x16in).
Mix the jam so that it is pliable and then spread over the dough using a palette knife or back of a spoon. Leave a small border on one long side.
Take the marzipan out of the freezer - it should be almost solid but not completely hard. Grate some marzipan over the entire surface.
Roll the dough into a log and shape into a wring. Place a greased ramekin in the centre and cover with greased plastic wrap.
Leave for 20-30 minutes, the dough should rise again.
Transfer onto a large baking sheet and cut diagonal slashes on the outer edge of the wreath using a sharp floured knife.
Brush all over with a lightly beaten egg, sprinkle with flaked almonds and pearl sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool before serving.
Notes
Wreath best eaten on day of baking though it will keep for a couple of days, wrapped, at room temperature.Instead of plum jam you can use apricot or peach jam or marmalade.