Chocolate and Cardamom Christmas Wreath

Combine the yeast, sugar and warm buttermilk in the bowl of an electric mixer with dough hook and leave covered for 10 minutes or until frothy.

Add the flour, cardamom, yolks, oil and salt and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

Line a large baking tray with paper and lightly dust a work surface.

Gently roll dough out into a large rectangle and transfer to the tray, cover with plastic and place in the fridge for an hour.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Beat the soft butter together with the cocoa and sugar and set aside.

Now, once ready to roll, take the dough out of the fridge and spread with the butter and sugar mixture.

Roll dough, from the longest edge of the rectangle into one long sausage. Now, cut this in half lengthways, take the two ends and twist together into a braid, pressing the ends together.

This bit can take a bit of practice but honestly it’s quite fun.

Gently transfer back to the lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes at 200°C then reduce heat to 180°C and bake for a further 25 minutes or until the wreath is golden brown.