Cathy Katin-Grazzini
Cathy’s Kitchen Prescription LLC
www.cathyskitchenprescription.com
 
Very Berry Cherry Wreath
(Please note photos above as a guide to the recipe.)
 
A date-sweetened bread wrapped around a mound of fresh berries, cherries and grapes is delicious and juicy without being cloyingly sweet. Plant-based, whole grain, with no added sugar or fats, this eye-catching ring that is loaded with phytonutrients, antioxidants and fiber, not calories, is delightful for breakfast, brunch, teatime, or dessert. 
 
Prep time 45 minutes, bread rise time 2 hrs         Bake time 45 minutes                 Serves 8-12
 
Ingredients
 
Dough 
1 cup date paste from 1½ cups whole pitted dates, any variety
1 cup unsweetened soymilk, warmed slightly
2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
 
Filling
2 cups blueberries
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 ½ cups mixed wild wineberries and black raspberries OR 1 cup blackberries, halved
 
Glazes
1 cup mini red bell peppers, seeded, roasted, blended (optional)
½ cup pomegranate molasses•
 
• available now in many supermarkets, in Middle Eastern groceries, and online
 
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F/176°C 30 minutes before baking.
 
Prep
Date Paste
To make date paste, add pitted dates to a bowl, just cover with water and microwave for 2 minutes. Alternatively, simmer on stovetop for 5 minutes. Cool. Throw in a high-speed blender and purée until very smooth.
 
Red Pepper Glaze
To make the mini red bell pepper glaze, destem and core the peppers. Dry roast in a 350°F/176°C oven for 20-30 minutes, or until peppers are soft and collapsing and lightly toasting on their edges. Cool. Toss in a high-speed blending with a spoonful or two of water and blend until very smooth.
 
Dough
Warm soymilk in microwave or stovetop to no warmer than body temp. Add to a medium bowl and sprinkle on yeast.  Stir and allow 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Stir in ½ cup of the date paste and mix well. Then stir in the flour.  Gather into a ball and turn out on a board to knead for 10 minutes.
 
Return to the bowl, cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm corner (I set my oven to 100°F/37°C and left the oven door partially open) to rise until doubled in size, roughly 1½ - 2 hours. 
 
Building the Wreath
Line your largest rimless cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a bit of flour and roll dough out to ¼” thickness in as large a circle as will fit your cookie sheet (my circle’s diameter was 14”).  Using an inverted  5 ½”-6” bowl or plate as a template, center it over the dough circle and press it lightly down to mark an interior circle. Don’t cut through the dough, however.
 
Now, using a knife and a straight edge, cut 8 lines through the center, as if you were cutting 8 equal slices of pizza. These will become the triangular tabs that will fold back over the fruit filling.
 
Using an angled icing spatula or a blunt butter knife spread a coat of date paste over the entire surface of the dough.Mix the fruit in a large bowl. Pile it generously onto the outer ring of the dough circle, mounding it 1” from the outer edge.
 
Fold up the dough on the outer edge over the fruit to hold the fruit and juices that it will produce while baking.
 
Clean and dry the angled spatula. Use it to gently slide under each central dough triangle, lifting and pulling it gently back over a section of fruit. Press its tip lightly to seal it to the outer dough rim.  Repeat with each triangle.
 
Using a bristle brush apply red pepper purée OR pomegranate molasses to the crust. This is your first glaze coat.
 
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until fruit is soft and juicy and crust is golden.
 
Remove and apply pomegranate glaze to the crust and over all the fruit. Return wreath to the oven for 5 minutes.
 
Remove from oven. Allow to cool. The juices from the cooked fruit will congeal. 
 
Run the angled icing spatula under the wreath to free it up from the parchment paper before transferring it to a serving platter.
 
Very berry cherry wreath is delicious served at room temp but its flavor is best when warmed slightly.  Enjoy every mouthful!