- 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
- 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
- 8g dried active yeast
- 10g/¼oz salt
- ¾ tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp (approx 12) green cardamom pods, lightly crushed, seeds removed and ground
- 6 free-range eggs (should be 350g/12oz shelled weight)
- 250g/9oz unsalted soft butter, cut into small cubes
- 100g/3½oz sultanas
- 2 tbsp orange flower water
- 100g/3½oz chopped pistachios
- 1 orange, zest only, grated
- 200g/7oz undyed marzipan, chopped into 1cm/½in squares
- 1 free-range egg, mixed with pinch salt for eggwash
- 2 oranges, zest of both, juice of one
- 1 lemon, juice only
- pinch salt
- 170g/6oz caster sugar
- 85g/3oz unsalted butter
- 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tbsp orange liqueur
- 1 orange, juice only
- 300g/10½oz fondant icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
- toasted flaked almonds
- chopped pistachios
- edible gold stars (available online)
- ready rolled red and green fondant icing sugar to form berries and holly leaves (only small amount needed)
- Make the brioche dough the day before serving. For the dough, put the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and spices into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook fitted.
- Add the eggs and knead on a low speed for five minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then knead at medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough will be smooth, elastic and well amalgamated.
- Start adding the butter to the dough a few pieces at a time, whilst mixing at low speed. When all the butter has been added, work the dough at a higher speed for 6-10 minutes until dough is smooth, shiny and elastic and comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Cover the dough and leave in a cool place overnight (10-12C/50-54F is best).
- Soak the sultanas in the orange flower water, for the filling, and leave overnight also.
- The next day, allow the dough to come back up to room temperature and finish proving.
- Roll out the dough into a square and scatter over the soaked sultanas, pistachios, orange zest and marzipan.
- Divide the dough into approximately 90g/3¼oz pieces and form into balls.
- Generously butter a 28cm/11in pie tin and four small brioche moulds.
- Place 11 balls in a circle in the pie dish, just slightly apart.
- Form the remaining dough into four brioche à tête by pressing with the edge of your hand into the ball two-thirds of the way across and ‘sawing’ the dough to make a small head. Lift the head to stretch it from the ‘body’, then press the head into the body. Place the shaped brioche into the buttered moulds.
- Cover the dough and leave to prove for up to 2½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
- Brush the brioche with egg wash and bake the buns and wreath for 10 minutes at 190C/375F/Gas 5. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and continue to bake the small brioche for five minutes more, until dark golden-brown, then remove from the oven. When the small brioche come out of the oven, cover the wreath with aluminium foil and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes more. Remove from the oven when dark golden-brown.
- Remove the brioche from the tins and cool on a wire rack.
- For the orange curd, heat the juices, zest, salt, sugar, butter and eggs in a heavy saucepan, or in a bain marie, over a low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
- Sieve the orange curd and add the orange liqueur and leave in the fridge to firm up.
- When the orange curd has cooled, cut a cone out of the brioche à tête and place a small amount of curd into each brioche. Return the brioche tops and dust with icing sugar.
- Mix the orange juice with the icing sugar to make icing. Drizzle the orange icing over the wreath in a random pattern and sprinkle with the toasted flaked almonds, pistachios and decorate with edible gold stars and green and red icing decorations.
- Mix the orange juice with the icing sugar to make icing. Drizzle the orange icing over the wreath in a random pattern and sprinkle with the toasted flaked almonds, pistachios and decorate with edible gold stars and green and red icing decorations.