A ring of soft, pull-apart sourdough rolls brushed with garlic and rosemary butter, with a whole Camembert melting in the middle. It is the bake we put out on Christmas Eve or when friends come round for drinks: everyone tears off a roll and dunks it, and it looks like far more effort than it is.
The dough is a soft milk dough, mixed the evening before and shaped the next day. Cold dough is much easier to roll into neat balls, so the overnight rest in the fridge helps rather than hinders.
Ingredients
Dough
- 100 g active sourdough starter, at its peak
- 220 g whole milk, lukewarm
- 1 medium egg
- 15 g caster sugar
- 450 g strong white bread flour
- 9 g fine sea salt
- 40 g unsalted butter, soft
Garlic and rosemary butter
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
- A pinch of flaky sea salt
To finish
- 1 whole Camembert (250 g) in its wooden box
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk, to glaze
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- A few small rosemary sprigs
- 2 tbsp cranberry sauce (optional)
Contains: wheat (gluten), milk, eggs.
Method
- Mix. Whisk the starter, milk and egg together in a large bowl. Add the sugar, flour and salt and mix to a shaggy dough. Rest 20 minutes, then knead for 8–10 minutes (about 6 in a stand mixer), working in the soft butter a piece at a time, until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
- Bulk ferment. Cover and leave at room temperature until roughly doubled, usually 5–7 hours at 22–24°C. To bake the next day, leave it 2 hours at room temperature and then refrigerate overnight, for up to 18 hours.
- Divide and shape. Tip the dough out and divide it into 16 pieces of about 55 g. Shape each into a tight ball by cupping it under your hand and rolling it in circles on an unfloured worktop.
- Arrange the wreath. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Unwrap the Camembert, remove any paper or plastic, put it back in the base of its box and return it to the fridge. Grease the outside of the empty box lid and set it upside down in the middle of the tray to hold the space. Arrange 7 balls in a ring around it and 9 in a second ring outside, leaving about 1 cm between them; they join up as they prove.
- Prove. Cover loosely and leave somewhere warm for 2–4 hours (towards the longer end if the dough came from the fridge), until the rolls are puffy and touching.
- Bake the rolls. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan), gas mark 6. Brush the rolls with the egg glaze, lift out the box lid, and bake for 10 minutes.
- Add the Camembert. Meanwhile, score the top of the Camembert in a criss-cross and push in the garlic slices and small rosemary sprigs. Take the tray out, set the cheese in its box base in the gap and return to the oven for 15–18 minutes, until the rolls are deep golden and the cheese wobbles when you shake the tray.
- Butter and serve. While it bakes, warm the butter with the grated garlic and chopped rosemary until melted. Brush it all over the hot rolls and sprinkle with flaky salt. Spoon the cranberry sauce over the cheese if you like, tuck a few rosemary sprigs between the rolls and serve straight away.
Tips
- Vegetarian guests? Traditional Camembert is made with animal rennet. Look for a vegetarian soft cheese, or a vegetarian baking Brie, which works the same way.
- Making it ahead. Bake the rolls earlier in the day and leave them on the tray. To serve, warm them for 5 minutes, then add the cheese and bake for 15 minutes more.
- Soft rolls, not dense ones. Let them prove until they are clearly puffy and touching. Under-proved rolls are the most common reason a wreath bakes up tight.
- A sweet version. The same ring shape works with our sourdough cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning.
More festive bakes in our Christmas sourdough recipes, including a cranberry and walnut loaf for the cheeseboard.
FAQ
Can I make the Christmas wreath the day before?
Mix the dough the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight, then shape, prove and bake on the day. The rolls are at their best within a few hours of baking.
What can I use instead of Camembert?
A small baking Brie, a Vacherin Mont d'Or or a ramekin of garlic butter or cranberry sauce all work in the centre. For a dip without cheese, try warm onion chutney.
Why are my sourdough rolls dense?
Usually they were under-proved, or the starter was not at its peak when the dough was mixed. Enriched dough rises more slowly than a plain loaf, so give the rolls time to look puffy and soft before they go in the oven.
Bake this with a live starter
Our San Francisco sourdough starter is a live culture: add 75 g flour and 75 g warm water and it is usually bubbly and ready to bake with in about two hours. A starter makes a good stocking filler too — see our sourdough starter gifts.
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