Cranberry Jam & Orange Marzipan Holiday Bread

The concept and the flavors behind this recipe is not at all new, to me or for anyone who has been following my baking journey. I know for a fact that my Cranberry marzipan sourdough couronne has been a family favorite of many and I always get lovely feedback whenever someone bakes this bread.

So, then why did I have to create a brand new blog post about this bread? Well, I have been making several variations of this bread over the years and when I post them on my Instagram, I get asked of a recipe. Also, I realized an yeasted version (rather than the sourdough) would be more approachable to many. Also, I really like the new designs that I have come up with and I can't wait top share them with you.

Fair warning though, there is quite a bit of work to be done. Lots of elements but they aren't that hard or complex to make. Because this bread is leavened with instant dry yeast, even a novice baker can attempt at making this showstopper of a bake!

Here is a list of elements that you need, to complete this bread!

The yeasted sweet dough - This enriched dough is simple to make using a home mixer and we use commercial yeast (instant active dry yeast)

Homemade Cranberry jam - Supper market isles are loaded with fresh cranberries during the Fall months. Get a bag and this jam will be ready in a jiffy

Orange marzipan - A simple mix of almond flour, sugar and eggs. Scented with lots of Orange zest. The best tasting marzipan you will ever make!

Orange glaze - A thick glaze made with Orange juice and icing sugar adds contrast to the flavor and the looks

Sugar coated cranberries and Rosemary - Simply the jewels that sit on the bread to give it that festive showstopper look!

Let's dive right in and see how this festive layered bread is made.

Make the cranberry jam in advance. This will keep for about 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.

Bloom the yeast with 2-3 tablespoons of water and make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Mix flour, sugar and salt together.

Add half the milk into a bowl of a stand mixer followed by the bloomed yeast, eggs and the flour mix. Start mixing on lowest speed using the paddle attachment. Add the rest of the milk gradually until flour is hydrated. Add a splash or two of extra milk or water if the mixture is still too dry (stiff)

Add the softened butter to the dough. Separate the butter into chunks and press into the dough so it gets incorporated easily. Change to 'dough hook' and start kneading at medium-low speed (speed 2 in KitcheAid) for about 8 minutes or until a smooth dough is developed

Make sure to scrape the bowl and dust the walls with a pinch of flour. This will encourage the dough to pull away from the sides and the hook will be able to pick up the dough easily.

After about 8-10 minutes the dough will look smooth and elastic. Bring the dough out and shape into a nice tight round ball.

Place the dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm (70°F-75°F), draft-free place until doubled it's original size. (First proof) may take about 45 minutes to 1 hour

While the dough proofs, make the marzipan. Shape into a disk, wrap and refrigerate until needed. You can make this a few days in advance too.

The proofed dough.

At this stage you can punch down, wrap and freeze this dough and continue on a later date. The frozen dough will be fine for about a week.

It's now time to assemble this bread. So make sure you pulled the jam out and your marzipan is ready. You will also need a rolling pin, a half-sheet tray, parchment paper and a silicon mat (or a parchment paper)

Place the dough on a lightly dusted work area. using a rolling pin roll out to about 12 by 16 rectangle (that fits inside a half-sheet tray. Place this in the parchment lined tray and refrigerate until you prepare marzipan.

place the marzipan dough on a silicon mat (a thick parchment would work too, but be careful not to tare the paper) Roll out to a roughly 12 by 16 rectangle.

Bring the dough out and spread a thin later of cranberry jam

Place the silicon mat, marzipan side down, on the jam spread dough. Peel off the silicon mat. Gently press the marzipan so it sticks to jam.

Start rolling the dough along the length into a log. First pinch the starting end and then continue to roll.

Make sure the marzipan is not sliding out and it stays in place as you roll. Once you reach to the very end, use some water to dampen the dough and stick the end together.

Use both palms to roll the log back and forth to make sure it is stable and also to extend the length by a few inches.

After this step, you can decide on which shape or style you want the bread to be.

My favorite ways are either 2 or 3. For a table centerpiece I will make a wreath. If I am gifting, then two garlands make sense.

You can shape the long log into a round like this to make a wreath. And then we cut the dough using kitchen scissors. Watch the video below.

Make sure the cut is deep but it doesn't cut all the way. The sections or petals are still attached from underneath.

The picture on the left below show them shaped into two garlands and one on the right is a wreath.

Once shaped, make sure adjust and arrange the petals to make it look nice even and neat. Cover loosely and leave in a warm, draft-free place until proofed or for a bout 45 minutes. The proofed dough will look puffed up and grown slightly. Compare with the pictures below.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Once the oven is preheated, lightly egg wash the bread (only the doughy edges and its not necessary to egg wash the jam, marzipan swirly bits) and bake in the center rack until golden brown or for about 30-35 minutes. If it's browning too quickly, cover the top with a piece of foil. I like mine well done like the pictures below.

Once they are baked, remove from the oven and leave on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Decorations are best delayed until the last minute or just before serving. But you can make the sugar coated cranberries ahead of time and save in an air-tight container at room temperature.

To keep: Wrap the undecorated bread in cling wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 days or wrap in extra layers and freeze for up to a month or two.

To make the orange icing, simply mix the powdered sugar with a little orange juice. The icing should be very thick yet spreadable. Cover and set aside until needed.

Sugar syrup: Bring 1 part sugar and 1 part water to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the syrup thickens slightly. Save in a glass jar.

Make sure the sugar syrup is not warm or hot. Dip the cranberry in sugar syrup, drain the excess and roll on superfine(castor) sugar. Leave on a parchment to dry out.

Do the same with rosemary. Dip a strand in sugar syrup and shake the excess off. Dip in sugar and leave on a parchment to dry.

Decorate the bread by drizzling the orange icing and them placing cranberry and rosemary to your desired pattern.