Christmas Morning Crown

I love Christmas morning... I remember the excitement of Christmas mornings as a child, when you would wake up with a jolt and run to the tree ready to tear open your gifts. As an adult I still wake looking forward to the day, but make more of a sleepy, leary-eyed stumble into the living room to join family in opening gifts. The opening of gifts is pretty efficient in my family.. I know that in other families it is all very civilised and you have to wait until after breakfast... but not in mine! It can be a bit choatic, but I love it all the same :)

Christmas day breakfast is usually a pretty relaxed affair for us, and my Mum spoils the boys with a big fry up breakfast while I usually stick with my staple muesli/cereal so as not to fill up to much for the ensuing feast later in the day.

I think this recipe is also a good idea for Christmas morning as it can be prepared in advance and then baked on Christmas day. It not only looks great on a plate, but it's very easy to serve - simply pull apart! This adapted Christmas recipe comes courtesy of none other than the December/January issue of Delicious magazine - my Cookbook of the Month for December.

Christmas Morning Crown
makes 9 scrolls

1 1/2 c (225g) strong (bread flour)
7g sachet dried instant yeast
125g unsalted butter, chopped (plus extra to grease)
1/2c 9125 ml) warm milk
1 egg, beaten
50g brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
1 tsp mixed spice
1/3 c (55g) chopped mixed peel
1/3 c (55g) sultanas
1/4c (50g) glace cherries, chopped
1/2 c icing sugar, sifted
lemon juice

1. Grease a large baking tray and dust with flour. I used a heavy pizza tray, but any large baking tray will do.

2. Sift flour into a large bowl, add yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. Rub in 40g of the butter to form coarse breadcrumbs. Form a well in the centre and mix in the milk and egg to form a dough. Place in a greased bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave for 1 hour in a warm place until doubled in size.

3. Meanwhile, beat remaining butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until combined. Add nuts, spice, peel, sultanas and cherries and stir to combine.

4. Punch down dough to expel air, knead briefly then roll out on a floured surface to form a 30cm x 23 cm rectangle. Spread the fruit mixture over the dough with a spatula, leaving a 2cm border along the sides. Roll up along the long side to form a log, then cut into 9 equal size pieces.

5. Place slices, cut side up, on the floured tray so it forms a circle with the slices just touching. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until slightly risen. (Once risen, you can cover the crown and chill overnight, then bring back to room temperature before baking).

6. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and bake the crown for 20 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to form an icing thin enough for drizzling, then drizzle over the slightly cooled crown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tell me, dear readers, what's your Christmas morning tradition? Do you have breakfast before or after opening up your presents?


Ladybird x