Ingredients

• 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)

Directions

• 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.