Transform your holiday appetizer game with this show-stopping cranberry brie pull-apart bread wreath. It is as delicious as it is beautiful. Soft, pillowy dinner rolls arranged in a wreath shape cradle a center of creamy melted brie topped with tart cranberry sauce.
Making the dough and allowing rolls to rise 1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Total Time 2 hourshrs25 minutesmins
Course Appetizer, Christmas
Servings 12People
Calories 265kcal
Equipment
Bread Machine
15-inch pizza pan
Ingredients
Rolls
1 ½cups(12 ounces, 240 grams) filtered water (See Tip 1)
2 ½Tablespoons olive oil
1 ½Tablespoonsgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsKosher salt
4cups(20 ounces, 567 grams) bread flour (See Tip 2)
1 ½TablespoonsInstant yeast (See Tip 3)
Cranberry Brie Wreath
Dough for rolls from above
8ounceBrie round (See Tip 4)
1tablespoonmilk for brushing the rolls
¼cupJellied cranberry sauce (See Tip 5)
1Tablespoonmelted unsalted butter for brushing the cooked rolls
Fresh rosemary (See Tip 6)
Pomegranate seeds (See Tip 6)
Instructions
Rolls
Add the water, olive oil, sugar, salt, bread flour, and yeast to the bread machine pan in the order listed. Program the bread machine on the dough cycle.
When the dough cycle finishes, transfer the dough to a floured surface. Cut the dough into 25 pieces, each weighing 1.38 ounces, and roll each into a tight ball. (See Tip 7)
Cranberry Brie Wreath
Spray the pizza pan with nonstick spray, or cover it with parchment paper.
Unwrap the Brie, and place it in the center of the pizza pan. Form ten rolls around the Brie. Form the remaining 15 rolls around the first first ring of rolls.
Place in a warm location until the rolls have doubled in size, around 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Brush the rolls with milk and spoon the cranberry sauce on the brie.
Bake in the preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown.
Remove the rolls from the oven and brush them with melted butter. Arrange rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds around the rolls.
Yield: 12 servings.
Video
Tips/Notes
It's important to use filtered water. The reason is that tap water contains chlorine which can act to retard the growth of the yeast or even kill the yeast.
Weigh your ingredients, especially flour. The quantity of flour can vary significantly depending on how it is measured. I consistently use the rule that one cup of flour weighs five ounces.
I consistently use instant or bread machine yeast when making bread, including these rolls. Instant and active dry yeast are not the same. Active dry yeast must be "proofed" or dissolved in warm water with a pinch of sugar before adding it to a recipe, while instant yeast can be added directly to the recipe.
You do not need to remove the rind from the brie before using it in this recipe.
You can substitute raspberry jam for the cranberry sauce. For a more savory appetizer, use pesto instead of cranberry sauce.
I used ten rosemary tips for the sprigs and 20 pomegranate seeds for the garnish.
The total weight of the dough was 34.5 ounces. I divided that by 25 to arrive at 1.38 ounces for each of the 25 pieces of dough.