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  • hey everyone it's natasha from natashaskitchen.com Today we're making a wreath

  • bread that has a crisp crackling crust and a super soft center. Forming bread

  • into a wreath is so easy and your friends and family will be impressed.

  • Good news, this recipe has very little active time so you can make it in the

  • background while you're working on your holiday feast. First, stir together 14

  • ounces of warm water and half a teaspoon of molasses. Set those aside and in a

  • large mixing bowl combine two and a half cups of all-purpose flour, 2 and 1/3 cups

  • of bread flour, 2 teaspoons of salt and one and a quarter teaspoons of instant

  • yeast. Whisk that together then add your water molasses mixture and stir together

  • with a spatula just until it comes together. If the dough still feels too

  • sticky add more flour, one tablespoon at a time. You'll need to knead the mixture

  • together by hand for about four minutes. I usually add about two to three

  • tablespoons of extra flour. When you're done kneading, the dough should feel soft

  • and sticky to the touch but shouldn't stick to clean fingertips. Cover the bowl

  • with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for four hours. Every

  • hour as it rests punch down the dough with a wet hand and fold it over onto

  • itself a few times. Using a wet hand will keep the dough from sticking to your

  • hands without adding any unnecessary flour. After the four hours of rising

  • time, punch down the dough one last time and pinch it in the center to divide

  • into two pieces.

  • Generously dust a large sheet of parchment paper with flour. Place the

  • first piece of dough in the center turning to coat so it's easier to work

  • with and use your fingers to poke a hole in the center. Gently and evenly stretch

  • your dough to about a 5 to 6 inch diameter in the center and 9 to 10 inch

  • diameter on the outside. Grab another large sheet of parchment paper and

  • repeat the process with the second piece of dough.

  • Let the rings rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the

  • oven to 450˚ F and place a cast iron or broiler pan on one side

  • of the bottom rack and a large upside-down baking sheet on the center

  • rack. Once the rings have risen, dust the top generously with all-purpose flour.

  • All you need is a pair of sharp kitchen shears. Holding the scissors at a

  • 45˚ angle, cut deep slits into the dough about one and a half inches apart.

  • Pull the leaves away from the ring as you cut them. It helps to turn the entire

  • dough ring as you slice to ensure that you're keeping the same angle. Once all

  • of your leaves are cut, fan them out a bit with your hands and repeat with the

  • second ring. All right, our oven is hot and ready. Use a second baking sheet to

  • help you transfer your dough. Transfer it with the parchment paper to your hot

  • cookie sheet and immediately add one cup of ice cubes to the cast iron pan below,

  • being careful not to drip on any glass surfaces bake at 450˚F

  • for 20 minutes then repeat with the second wreath, adding more ice cubes. I'm

  • so excited right now! It totally smells like a bakery in my kitchen and we get

  • to do the taste test! You know how when you go to your favorite fancy restaurant

  • and you get some bread that's like the best tasting bread of your life, that's

  • what this is! It's a true crusty French bread! It is crunchy on the outside and

  • so soft inside. So we're gonna break this apart and that's the beauty of this, you

  • can either slice it or break it. Look at the steam! I probably should wait a

  • little bit normally, but I am just way too impatient. Oh man, that is soft bread!

  • That's what I'm talking about. Okay, and you can serve this with just butter. You

  • know what else is really beautiful, you can lay it out as like an edible

  • centerpiece, you can put butter in the center and then a dip that I'm going to

  • show you here after we do a quick butter taste test because I can't wait!

  • Oh, yum yum! Actually you know what, listen to this crunch and you will be sold. Take

  • a look at this. Yes! I'm seriously excited right now because this is the best bread

  • ever! Okay, I'm gonna take a bite, big bite...

  • mmm... It has an unbelievably crunchy crust in

  • the center is like marshmallow soft, this is perfect. I don't think it gets any

  • better than this. I'm gonna thoroughly enjoy this, oh and the dip that I was

  • telling you about. So also fancy restaurant, you want to be

  • like a fancy person. All right, so a little bit of extra-virgin olive

  • oil, a little glug. I like that word glug. A little bit of balsamic vinegar and

  • some salt and pepper

  • and then you just kind of push your bread around in it get all the flavors.

  • YUM! I love when there's a taste test number

  • two! This is definitely a special occasion bread but it literally took

  • like five minutes of active time. It is so easy. If you guys enjoyed this recipe,

  • give me a great big thumbs up below, make sure to subscribe to our Channel and

  • make this for your next holiday party! Everybody will be so impressed! We'll see

  • you later. Hey, before you go, if you love really impressive and easy-to-follow

  • holiday recipes, check these out right over here and click below to subscribe

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  • one of our recipes. Thanks for watching!

hey everyone it's natasha from natashaskitchen.com Today we're making a wreath

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