Christmas Morning Crown ~ #Twelve Loaves

I had truly forgotten how wonderful dough can feel in your hands.  Soft little pillows of goodness, so light to the touch, with the promise of the deliciousness to come.

It has been quite a while since I have participated in Twelve Loaves, but the group has remained in my thoughts and I missed the camaraderie and encouragement that all the wonderful bakers in the group provide.  At the last moment I decided that I needed to bake - because it is what makes me happy - so I had to quickly find something that fits this month's theme.




Honestly, I was a little scared since yeast has always been my nemesis.  I have just never felt that confident in baking yeasted breads, even though I enjoy the process and love the feel of the dough in my hands.  This group really helped me gain confidence, and when I came across the recipe for a Christmas Morning Crown on the newly launched website for an Australian magazine called delicious (love, love, love this magazine) I knew I had found the perfect recipe for me, with a few little tweaks.

Although it sounds like something savory, the mincemeat I decided to add to this recipe is all fruit. Typically mincemeat is made from a combination of dried fruit, fresh fruit, spices, and alcohol.  In this recipe I used a store-bought jar of a mincemeat, although there are many recipes out there should you wish to make your own.  I found this one to be a very good substitute. One ingredient that was in the original recipe that I decided to omit is glacé cherries - they are just not something that I enjoy. Another ingredient you may not be familiar with is mixed spice. It is quite popular in Australia and is usually a mix of warm spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coriander, allspice, and cloves. Here is a quick recipe for putting together this spice mix.

Mmmmm I loved this recipe.  It tastes like a mincemeat pie and a cinnamon roll had a baby :).  I can definitely imagine waking up to these on Christmas morning, and the fact that you can prep these rolls right up to the baking stage then refrigerate them makes it so easy. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

If you would like to know more about #TwelveLoaves and see what the other bakers made for the Holiday Breads theme please scroll down below the recipe.

Christmas Morning Crown
(Printer Friendly Recipe)

Ingredients

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 7g sachet dried instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 125g butter, chopped
• 125ml warm milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 40g chopped mixed peel
• 125g mincemeat
• 30g raisins
• 3 tablespoons apricot jelly (optional)
• 110g powdered sugar, sifted
• 1½ tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Line  a large baking tray. 
2. Sift flour into a large bowl, add yeast and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 40g butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Add the milk and egg, and mix to form a dough, and knead lightly. 
3. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave for 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.
4. In a small bowl, beat remaining butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined. Add spice, mixed peel, raisins, and fruit mincemeat; stir to combine.
5. Punch down the dough to expel air, knead briefly, then roll out on a floured surface to form a 30cm x 23 cm rectangle. Spread the fruit mixture over the dough with a spatula, leaving a 2cm border along the sides. Roll up along the long side to form a log, then cut into 9 equal size pieces.
6. Place slices, cut side up, on the baking tray so it forms a circle with the slices just touching. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until slightly risen. (Once risen, you can cover the crown and chill overnight, then bring back to room temperature before baking - perfect for a holiday morning).
7. Preheat oven to 180ºC.  Bake the crown for 20 minutes or until golden.
8. Place jelly in a small bowl, heat for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave and then brush onto the warm rolls.
9. In a small bowl, mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to form an icing thin enough for drizzling, then drizzle over the slightly cooled crown.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature.
11. Makes 9 scrolls.

Recipe adapted from delicious.com.au

For US measurements please click here.

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Savoring Italy and runs smoothly with the help of Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, and the rest of our fabulous bakers.

This month we are baking Holiday Breads that are perfect to celebrate the holiday season. For more bread recipes, visit the #TwelveLoaves Pinterest board, or check out last month's inspiring selection of #TwelveLoaves Thanksgiving Biscuits and Rolls!

• Buttermilk Honey Santa Bread from Kudos Kitchen
• Cranberry Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Baking in Pyjamas
• Christmas Morning Crown from All That's Left are the Crumbs
• Cranberry Orange Muffins from Hostess at Heart
• Fruity Santa Bread from Cheap Ethnic Eatz
• Pandolce Genovese from Savoring Italy
• Pecan Kringle from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• The Precise Kitchen Elf's Panettone from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

If you'd like to bake along with us this month, share your Holiday Breads using hashtag #TwelveLoaves!