This Pull Apart Christmas Tree Bread is a sweet version of the classic cheesy recipe. This version is the perfect easy Christmas breakfast for the holidays.
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In a large mixing bowl, add self-rising flour, sugar, and yogurt.
Knead the dough on low-medium speed with the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer until it forms a smooth dough—it takes about 2 minutes. You can also stir with a rubber spatula and then knead the dough by hand. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour. You know the dough is ready when it's smooth and soft and doesn't stick to your hands.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, add more flour on top, and use a rolling pin to roll it into a large rectangle 14-inch x 9-inch rectangle (35 cm x 23 cm).
Use a knife to cut the dough into 34 squares/rectangles of about the same size each, making sure they are wide enough to fit a raspberry.
Set aside two pieces of dough - keep one in a rectangle shape for the foot of the Christmas tree, and roll the other one a bit wider, then cut it out with a star cookie shape for the top of the tree. Set aside.
Grab one piece of dough in your lightly-floured hand palm, add a frozen or fresh large raspberry in the center, pinch the sides of the dough to seal it, and roll it between your hands to form a dough ball.
Repeat for all the dough balls. Then, form the dough balls into a triangle or Christmas tree shape on the prepared baking sheet, making sure the dough balls stick to each other.
When all the balls have been arranged on the baking sheet, stick the Christmas tree rectangle of dough made before at the bottom of the tree and the star shape on top.
Bake the tree for 25 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until the dough is dry and golden on the outside.
Let it cool down on the baking sheet, then transfer it to a cooling rack.
Before serving, brush the tree with maple syrup. It's optional, but I like the maple flavor as the dough isn't sweetened. Then, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top to give a snow effect on the Christmas tree. You can tilt the pan to make the sugar only coat the top of the branches.
Decorate it with Christmas sprinkles and extra fresh raspberries if you like.
Serve as a Christmas breakfast to share.
Notes
Note 1: I don't recommend gluten-free all-purpose flour for this recipe. To make 1 cup of self-rising flour, you need to stir 1 cup of all-purpose flour + 2 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder.Note 2: I am using full-fat dairy-free coconut yogurt. It's higher in fat and makes the buns ultra fluffy. Any dairy-free yogurt works, including sweetened or vanilla-flavored ones. You can also use regular Greek yogurt if you use dairy in your kitchen - although we haven't tried it.Note 3: You don't need to thaw frozen raspberries. Frozen raspberries are often smaller, and you might fit two per bun. You can also use other berries. Strawberries are a bit tricky as they release more juice, but blueberries and blackberries work well.Make ahead: You can make the dough the day before, store it in a lightly oiled mixing bowl, and cover it tightly with plastic wrapping. Remove from the fridge 2 hours before using to bring the dough back to room temperature. Storage: Store leftover buns in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.