Cranberry Pistachio Babka Bread Wreath

Four pieces of babka bread wreath cut up on a round board.

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Cranberry Pistachio Babka Bread Wreath

This delicious sweet bread has a pistachio paste rolled inside the layers of this cranberry babka bread. The dough features a citrus orange flavor. You will enjoy bursts of tart cranberries and the warm nuttiness of pistachios, all wrapped into this beautiful babka wreath bread. A honey glaze brushed on top gives the perfect shine and sweetness. This bread will make a show-stopping dessert for your Christmas festivities. It also serves as a gorgeous table centerpiece.

Course bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword babka, babka bread, babka recipe, babka wreath, cranberry pistachio babka recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Rise Time 2 30

Total Time 3 20

Servings

Calories 664kcal

Author Trish - Mom On Timeout

Ingredients

Babka Dough

3 cups bread flour 420g, plus more, if needed
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons water room temperature
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ to 1 teaspoon orange zest optional
½ teaspoon orange extract optional
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
9 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional

Pistachio Paste

1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios 120 grams, or nut of choice
9 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons bread flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter very cold
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract clear is preferable

Assembly

1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen (frozen being the better choice)
1 tablespoon bread flour
¼ to ½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios or nut of choice coarsely chopped (optional)

Egg Wash: (Optional)

1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

Glaze: (Optional)

3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water hot
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

White Chocolate Drizzle: (Optional)

1 cup white chocolate chips quality, ex., Ghirardelli
2 to 3 teaspoons coconut oil more/less for desired consistency (any oil can be used - canola, etc.)

Instructions

Babka Dough

Combine flour, sugar, water, yeast, vanilla, orange zest and orange extract (if using), salt and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed for about 4 minutes, just until the dough comes together. Avoid turning the speed up too high, or the dough will become too wet.
3 cups bread flour, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon instant yeast, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ to 1 teaspoon orange zest, ½ teaspoon orange extract, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 large eggs
Add the butter one tablespoon at a time along with the cinnamon, if using. Continue mixing on low speed for about 10 minutes. Tip: If the dough still sticks to the bottom of your mixer after butter and cinnamon are added, remove it from the bowl. Finish kneading by hand on a cutting board, adding only about a tablespoon of flour at a time. Do not add too much flour. The dough should feel smooth and buttery - not wet or dry.
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 to 1 ½ hours until puffy, but not doubled in size.
As you’re coming to the end of your bread’s rest time, prepare the pistachio paste.

Pistachio Paste

Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly crumbled. Pulsing too many times will cause the pistachios to release their oils, which is not what you want for the consistency.
1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
After pulsing a couple of seconds about 5 times, add pistachios to the bowl with sugar, flour, salt, butter, egg and vanilla extract. Mash together with a fork and then set aside.
Tips: Be sure to use very cold butter, as you don’t want your paste to become too soft and watery because of the butter being too soft. When you mash the butter into the pistachio paste mixture, the butter should be in chunky, pebbly pieces even after it has been mixed with a fork.
If you make the paste well before the time to use it, set it in the fridge until ready to use.
9 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons bread flour, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large egg, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Note: For a greener paste, shell the pistachios, removing almost all/most of the brown skins from under the shells. If you don’t do this, your paste will have a browner color.

Assembly

In a medium-sized bowl, coat the cranberries with the flour. Set aside.
Tip: I highly recommend using frozen cranberries so the cranberries don’t ooze out too fast when baking. The frozen ones keep their shape and juiciness better than room-temperature cranberries. A bonus is that frozen cranberries can be found at the store year-round!
1 cup cranberries, 1 tablespoon bread flour
In a separate small bowl, beat the egg and water together for the egg wash. Set aside.
1 large egg, 1 tablespoon water
After the dough has finished rising, place it gently onto a lightly floured cutting board. Roll the dough out into an approximately 9x18-inch rectangle.
Spread the pistachio paste mixture across the dough, leaving a border empty so the dough can close when rolling.
Sprinkle the coated cranberries and most of the pistachios (if using) on top of the paste. (Reserve some crushed pistachios for when it comes out of the oven.)
¼ to ½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios or nut of choice
From the long end of the dough, start tightly rolling. Then tightly seal/pinch the long edge together so that nothing leaks out. Once it’s all rolled up, roll the whole “tube” out until it’s about 24 inches long.
Using a sharp knife, cut down the middle of the long “tube,” creating 2 strands.
Turn the insides of the dough strands upwards and start overlapping the two dough strands on top of each other. Then bring the ends together to form a circle. Be sure to pinch the dough as needed to keep the ends from unraveling while resting/baking. Slide the bread wreath onto a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. To create a “tighter” circle in the middle of your wreath, use a small, round ramekin (about 3-4 inches in diameter) to help it keep its shape. Before setting the ramekin in the middle, lightly grease it to prevent it from sticking when it’s time to remove it.
Let the wreath rest covered with a towel over the top for about 1 hour. Tip: Do not let it rest much more than 1 hour, as the wreath can become too puffy, leading to an oversized wreath that is hard to bake through.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Tip: I’d recommend keeping your oven racks medium to low level just to keep the top of the bread from browning too fast. Since the bread is twisted, some parts will brown quicker than others, so just keep watch on it.
Right before placing the bread wreath in the oven, brush the egg wash over it, being sure not to miss any spots. After you bake it for about 20 minutes, remove it from the oven and remove the ramekin carefully. Place the bread back into the oven to finish baking through. It should have an internal temperature of about 200°F, depending on the thickness of where you are inserting your thermometer. If at any point your bread starts becoming too brown, tent it with foil while it finishes baking. I’d recommend adding the foil after the 20-minute mark. Just keep an eye on it since not all ovens heat the same, and the height of your oven rack may vary.
While the bread is baking, mix together all of your glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Once your bread has reached the desired temperature, remove it from the oven and immediately brush on the glaze. Then top it with reserved, roughly chopped pistachios, if using. Melt white chocolate with the oil and gently spoon it over the bread/slices.
1 cup white chocolate chips, 2 to 3 teaspoons coconut oil
Optional: Add ribbon/bow to the area of the dough that had the 2 dough strands twisted together. The bow that was used was about 1 inch wide, for reference.

Notes

Storage Information

This wreath tastes best the day it’s baked, but leftovers keep beautifully!

Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Make Ahead: Prepare the dough and refrigerate overnight, then shape and bake the next day.
Freezer: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and rewarm in the oven before serving.

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?

Yes! Just activate it first by dissolving it in warm water (instead of room temperature water), with one tablespoons of the total five tablespoons of sugar in the dough, and letting it sit until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Tools and Equipment (affiliate links): Half Sheet Baking Sheet | Parchment Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat | Electric Mixer (Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer)

Please see post above for more information, step-by-step photos, recipe tips and frequently asked questions.

Nutrition