It took time and patience to do it, but the weather contributed a lot. It was and still is extremely cold, so the only thing you want to do is to stay warm inside, near the oven! I read Loretta's recipe 2-3 times before trying it. The steps were clear, the tips very helpful, nothing was missing.
I prepared my yeast on Friday evening and put it the oven not heated, without the light on. Just before going to bed, I checked it and it was rising nicely. However in the morning it was all flattened. I was going to throw it away and then I decided to go ahead with the next step and see if I could recover it. It worked perfectly.
I used a "Charlotte" mold, which I covered with wax paper. My husband is not a big fan of candied fruits and raisins, so I used only 1/3 cup of raisins that I soaked in orange blossom water.
You will find a lot of tips at Loretta's blog.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons of instant dry yeast
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1.4 ounces) assorted candied fruit
1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon orange blossom water to soak the raisins(or plain water or rum)
3/4 cup water
Mold: 7in diameter and 4in high
Directions
Step 1: the day before
- Mix 1/3 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of instant yeast.
- Add 1/4 cup water and mix well. Dissolve all the lumps well with your fingers until a smooth dough. Cover and let rise all night. I store it in the oven.
Step 2: next morning-9am
- The volume should have more than doubled. Don't worry if it has flattened.
- Add 1/2 cup of flour and knead the dough for few minutes. If it's too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
- Transfer the dough into a larger bowl.
- Cover the bowl and let it rise. I put it in the oven with the light on for 4 hours. The light keeps the oven just warm enough to help the dough rise.
- Take the butter out of the fridge.
- In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup water. Let it simmer around 20 minutes on a low heat and reduce to obtain a light syrup. Let it cool.
- Soak the raisins in warm liquid until soft (I put them in the microwave for 30 seconds).
- Beat the eggs and yolk and add the cooled syrup beating continuously.
- Drain the raisins and flour them so they don't stick together. If you are using candied fruits, use the same technique.
- Line the bottom and sides of your mold with buttered parchment paper.
- Put remaining flour and the second teaspoon of yeast in the dough machine and mix well.
- Add the dough prepared in step 1 and 2, and the butter. If the butter is not soft enough, microwave it for 10-20 seconds.
- Turn the machine on.
- Pour in the egg and syrup mixture.
- Knead for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the raisins and candied fruits and knead another 2 minutes.
- The dough should be soft.
- Transfer to the mold and let it rise. Again I put it in the oven with the light on. It should reach the edge of the mold.
- Pre-heat the oven at 400 degF.
- Bake 30 minutes then lower the heat to 350 degF and bake another 10 minutes.
- Let it cool, transfer to a plate and dust the surface with sifted icing sugar.
Many thanks for your mention. Your recipe is a great test. Brava!
ReplyDeleteLoretta, with your explanations, a child can do it. Beside, I am sure you know the old saying "one has to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to god what belongs to god". Happy Holidays!
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