Raspberry and pistachio wreath recipe perfect for Christmas and gifting to loved ones! Easy to make, impressive and delicious.
This festive wreath recipe is an adaptation of all the babka and cinnamon roll recipes on my blog including:
I've seen over 50 successful remakes of all those babka and roll recipes. That means this festive wreath recipe is *very* tried and tested! You're in good hands here!
This wreath recipe uses the same ratios and ingredients but just slightly different fillings and spices.
Preparing the dough for the raspberry wreath
Making the dough for the wreath is super easy. Simply add all the dough ingredients to a stand mixer and knead until it's soft and stretchy.
If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a large mixing bowl. Simply mix all the ingredients in the bowl then knead it on a clean floured surface.
To avoid repetition, you can see step by step pictures of the initial dough in my jam donut babka recipe post.
The dough should be soft and have no large cracks but shouldn't stick to the side of the bowl.
When you rest the dough for the first time, the most important thing is to keep it in a WARM spot in your home.
This is an 'enriched dough' and unlike pizza dough the butter inhibits the rising. The dough needs to be kept in a warm spot so the butter is soft enough for the flour and yeast to do its magic.
Preparing the jam for this wreath recipe
I made a quick jam out of raspberries, sugar and cornflour for this wreath. I added all ingredients to a saucepan then simmered it until it was very sticky and thick.
If you use store-bought jam just as Bonne Maman's raspberry conserve, you will need to reduce it on the stovetop beforehand as it's too liquidy. The jam needs to be a consistency where it won't ooze out when you roll the dough!
Shaping the wreath
If you've made cinnamon rolls or babka before, it's easy to master this wreath recipe.
Simply roll out the dough in a large rectangle on a floured surface. Mine was about 45 x 25 cm (18 x 10 inches) large.
Next I spread the jam on the dough. My jam was very thick and sticky so I was able to spread it very close to the edge.
Once you've done that, roll your dough starting from the long side. You will need two hands to do this.
Now you have a log of dough which will be similar to a Swiss roll. Cut the dough in half lengthways so you have two long strips of dough.
Twist or fold the dough to form a braid-like shape. Try to make sure the exposed jam side is on top!
I made sure my dough was as long as possible so I could create a wreath from it.
Once you have twirled your dough, transfer it to a sheet of baking paper. It's easier to do it at this stage because shaped wreaths are hard to transfer! Then simply bring the two edges together to form a circle or wreath.
Allow the wreath to rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour then bake!
Serving the festive raspberry wreath
I sprinkled some chopped pistachios to add festive cheer and colour to the wreath. Of course, you can sprinkle other nuts or skip it altogether!
To make the wreath more indulgent, feel free to drizzle some dark or white chocolate on top! It may take attention away from the beautiful raspberry pattern but it'll be extra delicious :).
Customising this wreath recipe
If you want to make the wreath EXTRA festive, you can also:
- Add some raisins and extra spices to the dough when you mix all the ingredients together
- Add some chocolate chips to the dough. Same as above!
- Use a gingerbread filling instead of the jam filling. I'd recommend the filling I used for my Gingerbread Rolls.
See my other vegan Christmas dessert recipes
- Vegan Gingerbread (refined sugar free)
- Healthier Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
- Vegan Gingerbread Cinnamon Scrolls
- Gingerbread Vegan Caramel Tart
- Vegan Gingerbread Cake
See how I assembled a bread wreath:
Raspberry and Pistachio Wreath Recipe
Ingredients
Quick Raspberry Jam (or use thick store-bought jam!*)
- 1 cup (110g) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 3 tbsp (40g) cane sugar, or liquid sweetener to taste
- 2 tbsp (14g) corn flour or corn starch
- Dash of water
- Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste (optional)
Wreath
- 3 cups (375g) plain or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- ¾ cup (165mL) plant-based milk, such as almond, soy or coconut, warm
- ½ cup (112g) vegan butter, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (40g) cane sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon (10g) instant dried yeast**
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of any good-quality salt, if not using salted butter
Optional add-ins
- ½ cup roughly chopped chocolate
- ¼ cup raisins
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
To decorate***
- ¼ cup (50g) cane sugar
- 2 tbsp (30mL) water
- ¼ cup pistachios
Instructions
To make the jam:
- Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir while mashing the raspberries. Reduce to a simmer for another few minutes or until the raspberries have broken down. The mixture is ready when it's thick and sticky. Remove from the heat and cool.
To make the dough:
- Combine all ingredients (and optional add-ins) in a large bowl or stand mixer and mix until it comes together. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until the dough becomes soft, stretchy and comes away from the side of the bowl. If the dough continues to stick, add a little more flour and knead again. If the dough is a little dry, add a dash of milk and knead again.
- Leave the dough in the bowl or stand mixer, cover with a tea towel and leave it in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size. If it doesn't double in size, place it in a WARMER spot and wait until it does.
- Dust a clean surface with flour. Roll out the dough into a rectangle shape around 25 x 45 cm large (10 x 20 inch). Spread the cooled jam onto the dough so it's close to the edge.
- Starting from the long side of the dough, roll it into a tube.**** Use a sharp knife to cut the tube in half length ways creating two long 'strips' of pastry. Carefully twirl the two halves together.
- Placethe dough on a lined baking tray. Connect the two ends of the dough together to form a wreath. Cover the wreath and let it rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes or until increased in size by at least 20%. You can also let the wreath rest in the fridge overnight.
Baking the wreath:
- If you chilled your wreath overnight, let it come to room temperature. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
- Bake the wreath for 15-20 minutes or until the outside is slightly golden brown. If you insert a skewer into the wreath, there should be no wet dough on it. Allow the wreath to cool on the baking tray.
Decorating the wreath:
- To make a sugar glaze, add the sugar and water to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. While the babka is still hot, drizzle the sugar glaze on top.
- Sprinkle the pistachios on the wreath just before serving. Enjoy! The wreath is best eaten the day it is baked. Alternatively, store it an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.
Notes
Please leave a comment below if you made this recipe, have any questions or thoughts! Your comment will help other readers and Rainbow Nourishments.
The recipe is great with a great taste and easy to made my family liked it!! I’ve used buckwheat flour which is gluten-free, that’s why the wreath collapsed and didn’t look as beautiful
I made this wreath for Christmas and it was delicious. My kids absolutely devoured it and it was so cool making a wreath shape. I actually converted the dough recipe to use in the thermomix so it was extra super easy to make!
Thanks Anthea for yummy, creative recipes 🙂
That's so cool to hear and love how you got your family involved! Thanks so much Grace xo
Hey Anthea!
I tried to make this wreath today, but kind of failed.... It looked beautiful before baking, but collapsed totally in the oven. I preheated it to 170°C and did not open it in the first 15 minutes. What do you think could have gone wrong? (I'm very new to baking and even more so to vegan baking 🙂 )
Hey! Oooh that sounds odd. Was the dough very soft and the shape just 'melted' away in the oven? If so, it sounds like your dough was a little too soft due to ingredients or temperature of your home. Or did it rise and collapse like a cake did? If so, it's a yeast issue!
Hi! I made this easier recipe and it was wonderful! Perhaps for the next time I will add honey (2 tbsp) to the rapsberries! And I will paint with egg instead of oil before cut it. Thank you so much??
So glad to hear Alice! Jam is another option for glazing the wreath too! Thank you for your feedback 🙂
This is beautiful! (I'm deciding between this and your pistachio cranberry linzer cookies for Christmas this year.) For the jam, if you used store-bought instead, how much jam would you need?
Thanks Casey! For the store-bought jam, I'd recommend using around 200g then reducing it on the stovetop until it's about 150g or really thick and not drippy. I hope that helps!
Thanks Anthea for a beautiful recipe! It’s easy to make and delicious to fill your tummy❤️ And what I liked the most is how equally beautiful the wreath looks before oven and after , very Instagram friendly bread indeed?
Aw thanks for your feedback Natasha! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the whole process and eating it too!