Sausage and cheese brioche wreath with ’nduja cranberry dip

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk. Put the flour, milk mixture and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (or large mixing bowl). Start mixing at a low speed (or mix by hand with a table knife) until a rough dough
   forms, then add 1 beaten egg, the butter and 1 tbsp oil. If using a stand mixer, turn the speed to medium once combined and mix for 5 minutes more until you have a smooth, elastic dough. If mixing by hand, tip out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
2. Leave the dough in the bowl, covered with a clean tea towel, in a warm place to rise for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. (Or leave overnight in the fridge.)
3. For the filling: pour the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat. Skin the sausages, crumble them in and fry for 5 minutes, breaking them up with a spoon, until browned. Add the fennel seeds and cook for a minute, then transfer to a bowl to cool.
4. Recipe continues after advertising adslot-recipe-4
5. Put the cranberries in the same pan, cook for 1-2 minutes to defrost, then add the ’nduja and toss until it coats the berries. Tip half the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Cook the remaining cranberries, adding a splash of water, until they break down into a sauce. Stir in the cream cheese, then transfer the dip to a bowl.
6. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead once or twice to remove any air pockets, then divide into 16 balls of dough (about 45g each).
7. Grease a large round baking dish or cake tin with butter. Take a ball of dough and flatten it into a disc as though making a pizza base – get it as wide and thin as you can. Put about 1 heaped tbsp sausage mix in the centre, then add some of both cheeses and about 1 tsp of the reserved cranberries. It will feel like you’re overstuffing the dough, but it’s a strong brioche, so push it hard! Work the disc back into a ball, as evenly as you can. Stuff all the balls and arrange in circles in the dish. You can either fill the dish/ tin with dough balls, or put a small oiled bowl or ball of foil in the centre to make space for the dipping sauce later.
8. Brush the top with half the remaining egg, then loosely cover and leave to  prove for 40 minutes at room temperature.
9. Heat the oven to 170°C fan/gas 5. Put the honey and thyme in a small saucepan and gently warm until the honey melts and turns to liquid. Leave to infuse.
10. Brush the rolls again (gently) with the remaining egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and shiny, then remove from the tin. Drizzle the honey (gently
    reheating it if it’s too thick) over the top, then serve hot with the dip in the centre (or on the side).