Como's Sweet Easter Bread

 

Como's Sweet Easter Bread

Bakers and pastry chefs in and around the city of Como, which sits on the southern tip of the lake bearing its name in northern Lombardy, prepare this sweet bread every spring. The olive branch inside the loaf and the ear of wheat etched into its surface are meant to symbolize spring and rebirth, which renders it popular come Easter. 

Here's our recipe so you can recreate this springtime Easter sweet at home. 

Resta di Como
Serves 10-12
Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes + 4 hours and 30 minutes leavening
Vegetarian
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. flour for the surface
3/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
⅔ cup raisins

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup mixed candied fruit (orange, cedar, cherry)
1 Tbsp. fresh brewer’s yeast
1⅔ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
acacia honey
lemon
powdered sugar

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in 1⁄4 cup warm water, mix with ⅓ cup flour, form a loaf, and let rise for 1 hour.

Mix the dough with the remaining flour, granulated sugar, 1 tsp. honey, butter pieces, and eggs, incorporating them one at a time, then add the salt and the grated zest of 1 lemon.
Cover and let rise for 2 hours. Soak the raisins and cut the candied fruit into small pieces.

Work the leavened dough again on a well-floured work surface, add the drained raisins and candied fruit, and shape into 2 elongated ovals. 

Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. flour mixed with 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar and use a sharp blade to etch an ear of wheat into the surface. Let rise for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then bake for around 30 minutes in a static oven at 350°F.

Candied Citrus Peel

Candied Citrus Peel

You can buy candied citrus peel but it is never as good as homemade. It is not difficult to make and it lasts.

Ingredients:
3 organic lemons
3 organic oranges
2 organic grapefruit
2 cups sugar

*

Directions:
Rinse the fruit well, then dry. Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each fruit. Take each fruit and stand on one of the cut sides. Cutting down with a sharp knife remove the peel with the pith in large pieces. Keep the flesh for juice or fruit salad. If any flesh is attached to the pith, remove it. 

Place the peels in a large saucepan, cover them with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, pushing the peels down under the water. As they cook, they will soften and sink.

Drain and rinse the peels with cold water. Cut the peels into small dice. Place the sugar in the saucepan and add 1 cup (250 mL) water. Heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add the diced peel and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time they will be very soft and translucent.

Using a slotted spoon, remove and place them, in a single layer, on a large baking sheet lined with wax paper. Leave at room temperature. After about 2 hours transfer them onto another wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Leave for another 2 hours then repeat the process. Leave the peels at room temperature for about 2 days or until dry. Once dry, place in a screw-top jar. Keeps for up to 2 months refrigerated.

Makes about 2½ cups (625 mL)

Dresden Stollen ~ Big Sur Bakery

Dresden Stollen
Big Sur Bakery

Nothing brings on a holiday feeling like Stollen which is a bread so common for the Christmas Holidays in Germany.  Perhaps it could be my German ancestral heritage.  While it involves work, the end result is so worth it!

Ingredients: 

For the raisins:
2 cups currants, raisins or golden raisins
3 cups dark rum
For the sponge:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons  milk, heated to 
    lukewarm
1 cup bread flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
Unsalted butter, softened, for coating the bowl
For the stollen:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened, plus extra
   for coating the bowl 
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 vanilla bean
2 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/4 cups candied fruits or candied zest
1/2 cup unblanched almonds
3 cups bread flour, plus extra for dusting 
10 ounces almond paste

Directions:
At least one day ahead or even a month, combine the raisins and rum in a bowl and set it aside.

On Baking day:  Start with the sponge:  In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the lukewarm milk, bread flour and the yeast.  Beat on low speed until a dough is formed, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the dough to a buttered bowl that is big enough for the sponge to double in size.  Cover it with plastic wrap, place it in the warm part of the kitchen, and let it rise until it doubles in size, 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the stollen mixture;  In the electric mixer fitted with th dough hook attachment, cream the butter, all the spices sugar and salt together until light and fluffy.  Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, scrape out the pulp with the back of the knife, and add the pulp to the butter mixture.  Add the egg yolks and almond extract, and mix to combine.

Preheat oven to 350*F. 

Drain the currents, reserving the rum.  Drain the candied fruit from syrup if homemade.  Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until very light brown, about 10 minutes.  Cut an almond in half to check the color.  Let them cool completely and then rough chop them.  Toss the candied fruit, currents and toasted almonds together in a bowl and reserve.

In the electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sponge, the bread flour mixture and the sponge mixture.  Mix on medium speed until the dough is shiny and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface.   Flatten it slightly and then roll it out to form a 1/2 inch thick rectangle.  Add 2/3 of the currant mixture, and fold the dough over it.  Add the remaining mixture currant mixture and roll the dough into a ball, making sure to keep a think skin of dough around the currant mixture so that none leaks out.  Place the dough in a buttered bowl that is large enough for it to double in size and cover it with plastic wrap.  Let it rise in a warm part of the kitchen until it has doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut it in 4 pieces.  Shape each piece into a football shape, keeping the smooth skin on top and tucking the cut edge underneath so that the currant mixture stays inside,  Let the loaf rest for 7 minutes, covered with plastic wrap .  Then working with one piece of dough at a time, flip it over on your work surface.  Punch it to get rid of any bubbles and fold the dough onto itself, almost as if you were rolling it up, to form a football shape.  Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.  Let them rest on the table, loosely covered with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

While they are resting, cut the almond paste into four pieces and roll them to form 4 log shaped pieces 6 inches long.  

Take one loaf and flip it onto a floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll the center of the loaf until it is 1/2 inch thick, creating a cradle about 4 inches wide while keeping the edges thick.  Place a log of almond paste in the center and fold half of the dough over it.  Using the side of your hand, form a crease between the log and two thick pieces of dough.  Doing so should pull the top layer back slightly leaving you with with a loaf of bread if cut crosswise would have three lobes.  Repeat with the remaining loaves and almond paste.  Place the shaped loaves an two baking sheets lined with parchment paper, apart from each other so they can rise until double in size.  Place the baking sheets in large plastic bags and leave them in a warm part of the kitchen for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the dough has almost doubled in size and is spongy to the touch.

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375^F.

Bake the stollen for 35 to 45 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown.  Remove them from the oven and let them cool 15 minutes.  Once the loaves are cool enough to handle, brush them generously with the reserved rum and the melted butter.  Sprinkle with granulated sugar and dust with powdered sugar.  Eat right away or store at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap.   Makes 4 loaves.  Great for gift giving.