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Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Wreath

Carissa Erzen
This is the perfect Christmas morning breakfast to impress your whole family! The cinnamon roll dough is soft and the filling is sweet and gooey. The brown sugar caramelizes as it bakes, so the bottom gets a delectable caramel crunch. And the cranberries braided into the cinnamon roll wreath give a pop of tart flavor.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Breakfast
Cuisine German
Servings 10 slices
Calories 534 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cinnamon Roll Dough

  • 1¼ cups milk
  • 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup fresh cranberries

Cinnamon Roll Filling

  • 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (one stick)
  • 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup brown sugar

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or water
  • 1 to 2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions
 

Make the Dough

  • Warm the milk, either on the stove top or in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals, until it's between 105°F and 115°F.
    Mix the active dry yeast packet into the warm milk and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it becomes frothy.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix to combine the milk and yeast mixture, salt, eggs, and softened butter.
    Add the flour, and mix with a large spoon. Continue mixing the dough with a large spoon until it forms a sticky dough, and there’s no dry flour visible.
  • Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Tip the dough onto your work surface, and knead by hand for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back to it's original shape when you indent it with your finger. Shape the dough into a ball.
  • Lightly grease a clean mixing bowl with olive oil, melted butter, or cooking spray. Put the dough ball in the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest and rise in a warm place (like an empty oven with the light turned on) for about 2 hours, until it doubles in size.

Thread the Cranberries

  • Using a sewing needle and thread, carefully thread the fresh cranberries. Don't cut the string yet, because you may need to add or remove berries to match the length of the dough. Set aside.

Prepare the Filling

  • Mix the softened butter with the ground cinnamon and brown sugar until it forms a thick paste. Set aside.

Shape the Cinnamon Roll Wreath

  • Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 14 inches by 24 inches.
    Evenly spread the filling onto the dough rectangle, getting it all the way to the edges.
    Gently roll the dough starting at one of the long edges, to form a giant swirly log.
  • Using a sharp knife, make two cuts down the entire length of the cinnamon roll log, to separate it into three even strips. Gently roll the strips of dough so the cut-side faces up.
  • Place your string of cranberries along the length of the middle strand of dough. Add or remove cranberries from the thread as needed, in order to make it the same length as the dough.
    Leave a few inches of extra string above the top of the dough and tape the string to your work surface, to prevent it from moving.
  • Gently press the three strands together at the top. Braid the three strands, keeping the string of cranberries on top of the middle strand of dough as you braid it.
    The braid shouldn't be so loose that you see gaps between the strands, but it shouldn't be so tight that you pull and risk tearing the dough.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the braid to the prepared baking sheet. Bring the two ends of the braid together, forming one large circle.
  • Gently remove the string from the cranberries by removing the tape from the work surface and tugging the string through all the cranberries. You may need to cut the string at a couple different points along the cranberry line to be able to gently pull it out without disturbing the dough.
  • Cover the dough wreath loosely in plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it proof for 1 hour.

Bake the Cinnamon Roll Wreath

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until it is golden brown. Allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before add the glaze and serving.

Prepare & Add the Glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the milk. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add another tablespoon milk.
    Drizzle the icing onto the cinnamon roll wreath. Then slice and enjoy!!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 534kcalCarbohydrates: 85gProtein: 9gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 266mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 3gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 598IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg
Keyword cinnamon roll, cinnamon roll wreath, cranberry cinnamon roll
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