Spiced fruit & pistachio bread wreath

• whole milk↗250ml ml
• butter↗50g g

  cubed

• strong plain flour↗450g g
• sachet fast-action dried yeast↗7g g
• golden caster sugar↗50g g
• egg↗1

  beaten, to glaze

• currant↗200g g
• chopped mixed peel↗50g g
• cinnamon↗1 tsp tsp
• mixed spice1 tsp tsp
• zest and juice 1 lemon
• zest and juice 1 orange
• pistachio↗50g g

  chopped

• butter↗100g g

  softened

• golden caster sugar↗2 tbsp tbsp
• icing sugar↗

  to glaze

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   First make the bread dough. Warm the milk in a saucepan until you can see steam coming from the surface, but don’t let it boil. Add the butter and set aside. Tip the flour, yeast, sugar and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl. When the milk has cooled to hand temperature and the butter has melted, pour the liquid into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon, then tip out onto your work surface and bring together with your hands. Knead the dough for 10 mins or until soft. Put it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave somewhere warm for about 2 hrs until doubled in size.

2. 2

   Place the currants, mixed peel, cinnamon, mixed spice, zests and juice into a saucepan. Boil hard for a few mins until the fruit has absorbed the liquid and become nice and plump. Chill until cold, then mix with the pistachios, butter and sugar.

3. 3

   When the dough is ready, tip out of the bowl and knead briefly to knock out the air bubbles. Roll out to a 45 x 28cm rectangle. Spread the buttery spiced fruit mixture over the surface of the dough. From one of the long edges, roll the dough to a tight cylinder, then bring the 2 ends to meet, creating a ring. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet with the join underneath.

4. 4

   Using a sharp knife, cut incisions around the outside of the dough, about 3cm apart, in a sunburst pattern, going quite close to the centre, but not all the way through. Working your way around the outside, pull each piece of cut dough out a little, then push it down on one side, so that the cut edge is exposed and they’re on a curve to create a fan shape around the edge of the wreath. When you’re happy with the shape, re-cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for about 45 mins until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

5. 5

   Uncover the bread and brush all over with beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Mix a little icing sugar with enough water to make a smooth runny icing. Whilst the bread is still warm, brush the icing over the surface with a pastry brush to make a sugary crust. Best eaten within 3 days.