Hearty Bread Wreath with Baked Cheese Dip

This savory bread wreath is an informal centerpiece for Christmas gatherings, brunches, parties, or fondue dinners. The rosemary-and-garlic yeast bread bakes around a box of soft oven cheese, allowing guests to tear off pieces and dip them into the melted center. It can also be served with fruit, raw vegetables, or ham.

Preparation: 20 minutes
Rising and cooking: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour 50 minutes
Yield: 2 wreaths, approximately 23 cm in diameter
Servings: 6

Ingredients

For the dough

• 220 ml whole milk
• 120 g butter
• 21 g fresh yeast, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 600 g wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg yolk, for brushing
• Fresh rosemary needles, for garnish
• Sea salt, for garnish

For the filling and dip

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 boxed oven-baked soft cheeses, one for each wreath

Instructions

Prepare the dough

1. Warm the milk in a saucepan until lukewarm. Remove it from the heat, then stir in the butter and sugar until dissolved.
2. Crumble the yeast into the milk mixture and stir until dissolved.
3. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and add the egg.
4. Combine the flour and salt separately. Gradually add them to the liquid while mixing with dough hooks or a stand mixer. Adding the flour to the yeast mixture in this order is important.
5. Knead for 7–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to your fingers.
6. Shape the dough into a ball. Lightly oil the bowl, return the dough to it, cover with a kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour.

Prepare the filling

1. Combine the chopped rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.
2. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.

Shape the wreaths

1. Divide the risen dough into two equal pieces.
2. On a floured surface, roll each piece into a rectangle approximately 40 × 20 cm.
3. Brush one rectangle with a thin layer of the rosemary and garlic oil, extending it almost to the edges.
4. Roll the dough tightly from a long side to form a long cylinder.
5. Place the wooden cheese box in the center of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange the dough cylinder around it, seam-side down, and join the ends to form a ring. Leave approximately 1 cm between the box and the dough. Return the cheese itself to the refrigerator.
6. Using kitchen scissors, make diagonal cuts into the top of the ring at approximately 1 cm intervals without cutting all the way through. Gently angle alternating sections to create a decorative wreath.
7. Cover and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
8. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make the second wreath.

Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C using conventional top and bottom heat.
2. Brush each risen wreath with egg yolk and garnish with rosemary needles and sea salt.
3. Unwrap each cheese and place it back into its wooden box in the center of a wreath.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the wreaths briefly and cut a cross into the top of each cheese. Fold back the four corners of the rind.
5. Return the wreaths to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes more, until the bread is golden and the cheese is hot and soft. Total baking time should be approximately 20–25 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the wreaths warm so pieces of bread can be pulled away and dipped into the melted cheese. Accompany them with pears, pineapple, raw vegetables, or ham if desired.

The filling can be varied, but it should remain fairly thin so the dough can still be rolled and cut. One alternative is a light layer of crème fraîche with finely sliced bacon and spring onions.